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Upright MRI Specifications

FONAR Upright MRI

Dramatically Different From All Other MRIs

The magnetic field strength of the FONAR UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI is 0.6 Tesla. At 0.6 Tesla, it is categorized as a “Mid-Field” MRI. Most “Open” MRIs (all of them recumbent-only scanners) operate at 0.3 Tesla.

Many equate magnetic field strength to image quality – the higher the field, the better the image. All other things being equal, that is a fair statement. In fact, however, all other things are not equal, meaning that in comparing one MRI to another, field strength is only half of the story.

The magnetic configuration of the UPRIGHT® MRI is dramatically different from all other MRIs, both High-Field MRIs and so-called “Open” MRIs. As a result, the UPRIGHT® MRI is able to use both solenoid and planar RF receiver coils. No other MRI can do this.

MRI comparison chart

This explains why the UPRIGHT® MRI’s 0.6 Tesla images are competitive with 1.5 Tesla High-Field MRI images. Here is the explanation of why the magnet configuration of the UPRIGHT® MRI is advantageous:

A Fundamental Principle of MRI:

The RF receiver coil achieves maximum sensitivity when its axis of symmetry (yellow arrow) is perpendicular (90) to the direction of the magnetic field (green arrows).

principle of MRIA fundamental

The UPRIGHT® MRI has a unique magnet design, which allows it to employ this principle in two ways. The patient is positioned between two vertical poles so that the magnetic field transverses the body in the left-right direction (green arrows) This unique design allows both flat planar and solenoid (“wrap- around”) coils to be used separately or in combination (in quadrature).

The UPRIGHT® MRI Can Use Flat Planar Coils

The UPRIGHT® MRI Can Use Solenoid (“Wrap-Around") Coils (which High-Field MRIs can’t):

The UPRIGHT MRI Can Use Solenoid  Coils

UPRIGHT® MRI SPECIFICATIONS

UNIQUE APPLICATIONS Rotates patients from recumbent to upright
Comparative scans in both Upright and Recumbent positions
Flexion, Extension, Standing, Sitting and Lateral Bending positions
Scans patients in their position of symptoms
Ideal for anxious and claustrophobic patients
The only choice for patients that cannot lie down
MAGNET
Field Strength 0.6 Tesla
Magnet Type Iron-frame Electromagnet
Cooling System Type Water (closed-loop); No Cryogens
Field Orientation Horizontal, transverse to the patient
Configuration Front-Open and Top-Open
Patient Gap Dimensions 18 inches (46cm) pole-to-pole
Patient Comfort Upright/Sitting patient faces out and can watch a large flat-screen TV with an unobstructed view
 
PATIENT BED
Positioning Capabilities Translate, Elevate & Angulate
Rotates patient from recumbent to upright
Patient Stabilization Table tilts backward at 7 degrees to reduce patient motion
Patient immobilization fixtures
VersaRest™ trans-polar stabilization bars
RF Receiver Coil Placement RF coils mount easily to movable fixtures
Patient Weight Limit 500 lbs.
 
RADIOFREQUENCY SYSTEM
Transmitter Configuration Dedicated, Circularly Polarized, Planar
Receiver Configuration Dual-channel
 
RF RECEIVER COILS
(Standard Coil Package)
Solenoid/Linear High-Performance Spine & Body Wide Belts (45", 55", 65")
Flexible Cervical
Signal-Plus Universal Coils
Solenoid Wrist
RF RECEIVER COILS
(Advanced Coil Package)
Planar Quadrature Planar Coil and fixture
[Note that the Upright MRI is dramatically different than an Open MRI as if utilizes planar (flat) coils to image the spine, just like a high-field MRI]
Quadrature Quadrature Head Coil
Quadrature T-L (Thoracic-Lumbar) Coil
Quadrature Knee Coil
Phased Array Shoulder (with Immobilization Fixture)
   
GRADIENT SYSTEM Bi-planar self-shielding
Type Bi-planar self-shielding
Maximum Strength (mT/m) 20
Slew Rate (T/m/s) 33
Minimum Slice Thickness 2.0 mm (2DFT)
0.8 mm (3DFT)
Minimum Field-of-View 6.0 cm
 
IMAGING TECHNIQUES
Pulse Sequences Spin Echo (SE)
Multi-echo spin echo (MSE)
Dual bandwidth Double-echo (DE)
Fast Spin Echo (FSE)
Inversion Recovery Spin Echo (IRSE)
Inversion Recovery FSE (IRFSE): STIR, FLAIR
Driven Equilibrium FSE (DEFSE)
Driven Equilibrium IRFSE (DEIRFSE)
Single-shot FSE (SSFSE)

Gradient Echo (GRE):
Fat/Water in phase
Fat/Water out-of-phase
Multi-echo GRE (Fat/Water in/out/in phase)
Gradient Spoiled GRE >Steady-State GRE:
RF Spoiled GRE, Steady-State Rephased GRE

MR Angiography:
2D-TOF and 3-D-TOF
Ramped RF
SEQUENCE CONTROLS
Fast Spin Echo Driven Equilibrium
Echo Train Length, Echo Offset, Echo Spacing
Gradient Echo Flip Angle
Steady-State, RF Spoiling, Rephased
Magnetization transfer (MT)
Direction of flow saturation
Scan orientations Multi-Angle Oblique (MAO™), Dual-Axis Oblique
Preparation Pulses Presaturation pulses
Magnetization transfer (MT)
Frequency Selective Saturation (e.g. fat, water, silicone)
Diffusion-Weighted (DWI)
Trigger/Timing Test Bolus
Breathhold, Fluorscopic
Reconstruction Fast Fourier Transform (DFT): 2DFT, 3DFT
Partial (Half) Fourier
ZIP interpolation
2-point Dixon, 3-point Dixon for Fat Suppression
Firing Order Cross-talk minimization
Interleaved
Interleaved by Subscan (e.g. breathhold)
Sequential
Data Acquisition Rectangular FOV (continuously variable phase sampling ratio)
Multiple Sub-Scanning
Centric Phase Encoding
Flow Compensation, Ramped RF
Low Bandwidth, Multi-bandwidth
Continuously Variable Display Matrix
Swap Frequency and Phase
Repeat and Replace Slices
Continuous Scan Mode, Breath-hold Imaging, Kinematic Mode
Prescan Indicators Relative resolution
Absolute resolution (frequency and phase)
Post-Processing MIP with rotate, tumble, pan
Image enhancement
Bright Balance™
Display and Analysis Windowing, ROI, zoom, pan
Cursors, profiles, derivatives, mean, standard deviation
Image subtraction
SNR measurements
Image Viewing Software (IVS) for referring physiciand to view their patients' scans on a CD