The increased magnet strength gives us many benefits at no additional expense. It gives us the ability to scan faster or to scan with higher detail. It gives us extra contrast enhancement. When you get an injection on contrast on a 3T MRI unit you get twice the enhancement you would get at a lower field strength. This means renal failure patients get a safer study with less risk of Nephrogenic Systemic Sclerosis (NSF). As far as I know there has never been a reported case of NSF using 1/2 dose contrast. This means you can see more lesions -safely. And potentially find the smallest lesions possible on MRI. MRI done at 3T is faster, better or more detailed - sometimes all at once. We also scan contiguously so in many cases we see up to 37% more lesions with the same scan time. We also use the safest MR contrast - Prohance. This super stable contrast molecule has never (by itself) been associated with NSF.
We can produce images of spectacular quality if you hold still for the examination. Our brain images are so crisp and clear. We have picked up brain aneurysms on the routine images which saved the patients' life. Patients do no realize how important clear image quality is. We have the fastest and clearest images possible at 3T. We have tried to create a friendly environment. We decided not to use skimpy gowns in the office. Many people find them drafty, embarrassing to wear and basically unfriendly. Instead we will provide you with sweats to wear during your examination. You can also wear your own gym shorts and t-shirts as long as there is no metal on them. Keep in mind, however, that even the smallest fleck of metal can ruin your MRI study. We encourage you to wear your own sweats or gym clothes as long as they have no metal fasteners or zippers. Also as it can get warm during the study we also have various sized t-shirts available for you to wear.
The real benefit of 3T is the use of fat saturation. At lower fields fat saturation is less effective. At 3T we get incredible fat sat images. This removes the high signal from fat and makes us more sensitive to blood products and enhancement. So enhancing lesions just pop right out from the anatomy. The images we obtain at 3T are like looking at an anatomy book with incredible 512x512 or higher resolution. Most other scanners only scan with 256x192 or 256x256 resolution. And we also can scan with 1 or 2mm thickness. Most other scanners use 5 to 7 mm thickness. FAT SAT plus contrast lets us pick up inflammation or tumors which cannot be seen with other MRI scanners.
Breast MRI benefits from all of these advantages, The best breast MRI is done at 3T. We use the safest contrast for breast MRI as well so it's all about patient care here. We give the results of the breast MRI as you get off the table and a doctor monitors the exam in every exam. There is not just a tech scanning. There is always a doctor present for breast MRI studies. Prohance is the safest gadolinium contrast known to man. Our 3T scanner makes the best breast MRI pictures. The higher resolution lets us see the margins of the tumor more clearly. This makes a difference in the diagnosis. I recently attended a breast MRI conference with Elizabeth Morris from NYC - Slaon Kettering Memorial Hospital. She just got her 3T MRI system and she loves it! Although you can do breast MRI on a 1.5T system, I would say that 3T is simply better. And if it was my family memeber I want it done on the clearest MRI system possible.
3T is faster, clearer, more diagnostic and better for MRI. Because it has twice the magent strength it is easy to say 3T is twice as good. But it actually can scan 4 times faster! So all of our studies are faster and better. The more I see nervous patients or patients who don;t like being inside the MRI system - I am always happy that the scanner is twice or four times as fast! For truly claustrophobic patients we have the BEST OPEN MRI in the world. www.bestopenmri.net We also offer conscious sedation by IV (Valium) and therefore do not take any pills prior to coming to our office if you prefer sedation.