MRI 1.5T- High Quality Imaging
In the world of medical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stands at the forefront of pursuing technological advances and creating high-quality images. MRI scanners are used in clinical settings around the world, to provide physicians with valuable diagnostic and prognostic information about a patient’s health.
To simplify a highly complex machine, an MRI scanner uses radio frequency waves and a magnetic field generated by a very large magnet to create a highly detailed 3-D image of the body.
MRI scanners are created with varying magnetic field strength, measured in a unit called teslas (T). Today, the most common magnet strengths in MRI machines used in clinical settings are 1.5T and 3.0T. As the numbers imply, a 3.0T magnet is twice as strong as a 1.5T magnet. To put this into perspective, the strength of the magnet that picks up cars in a junk yard is about the same as a 1.5T magnet in an MRI.1
1.5T has long been the standard strength magnet used in clinical settings, whereas 3.0T machines have typically been used in research settings. However, advances in technology have made 3T machines safer to use and more widely available. 1.5 and 3.0T scanners have some differences in their capabilities, but both machines offer a great deal of value in patient care.