Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suite (IMRIS): How to build and how to use

Abstract

Over the last ten years, the number of minimally invasive interventional procedures has been increasing steadily. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is still far less frequently used for image-guided percutaneous procedures or as an intervention method than computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US). However, MRI has many advantages, such as lack of ionizing radiation, real-time MR-fluoroscopy placement high resolution, no bone and gas artifacts, the ability to display lesions that are difficult to observe on CT and US visualization of blood vessels without a contrast agent, free selection of imaging planes and in the case of procedures such as thermos or cryoablation it is possible to make an intraprocedural assessment of the process without the application of a contrasting agent (Marini et al. in Diagn Interv Imaging 102: 531-538, 2021; Li et al. in BMC Cancer 21: 366, 2021; Barkhausen et al. in Rofo 189: 611, 2017). Furthermore, in addition to its use in Interventional Radiology, MRI is also becoming a reality in cardiology thanks to the possibility of overcoming all the limits related to the fusion technology used up to now in cardiac ablations (Chubb et al. Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev 6: 85, 2017). Some suites have been built in Northern Europe and in the United States, but based only on personal experience and industry indication. In our hospital, we have built a new Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suite (IMRIS), the first in Southern Europe and we have defined what the necessary requirements and equipment were for the safety of the patient and the operator.