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Michael J. Bernstein
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For Release: April 27, 1998
Radiologists Use New, Spacious MRI Machine to Examine Joint Problems
A new type of open magnetic resonance imaging system, called Magnetic Resonance Therapy (MRT), is making it possible for physicians to watch joints in motion and reach into the unit to perform joint examinations on patient during scanning, a Stanford study shows.
The results of the study were presented April 27 at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society held in San Francisco
The vertically open MRI unit makes it possible to watch what happens as the patient moves. This enables physicians to see subtle shifts in the joint that might indicate instability or another problem, according to Dr. Gabrielle Bergman, lead study author and section chief for Muscoskeletal Radiology at Stanford University Hospital in Stanford, CA.
This new technique is one step beyond open MRI, Dr. Bergman said, because the patient can walk into a vertically open MRI scanner and sit on a chair or stand up while the examinations are performed. "Patients can perform motions they say are causing pain, and we can watch what is happening inside the joint as they do it," she said. The unit provides enough room for the patient to sit, stand or lie down within the scanner. There is also is enough room for a physician to stand on either side of the patient to perform tests, Dr. Bergman said. The unit is equipped with a screen so that the physicians in the scanner can see the MR images as they appear. There is about a 1.5-second delay, she said.
Like a regular MRI, an exam in this kind of vertically open MRI unit is painless and non-invasive. A small device called an MR tracker is placed on the joint the physician wishes to examine. Dr. Bergman said the MR tracker looks much like a stethoscope; it has a flat, oval-shaped surface that is attached to the patient's skin using tape or Velcro. The tracker therefore follows the body part during motion, and ensures that the same part of the joint is imaged each time, Dr. Bergman said. "The MR tracker enables us to scan exactly the region we want to scan, and we know we are seeing exactly the same area each time," Dr. Bergman said.
Vertically open MRI is revolutionary for the study of joint motion and joint instability problems, Dr. Bergman said. There are currently only three units like this in the United States and about 15 worldwide. However, Dr. Bergman and her team are looking for ways to adapt the MR tracker so that it also can be used on regular MRI machines.
The American Roentgen Ray Society, with more than 12,000 members in radiology and related fields, is the United State's first radiological society. The society is dedicated to the advancement of medicine through the science for radiology.
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