Abstract
Whole-body 7 Tesla MRI scanners have been approved solely for research since they appeared on the market over 10 years ago, but may soon be approved for selected clinical neurological and musculoskeletal applications in both the EU and the United States. There has been considerable research work on musculoskeletal applications at 7 Tesla over the past decade, including techniques for ultra-high resolution morphological imaging, 3D T2 and T2* mapping, ultra-short TE applications, diffusion tensor imaging of cartilage, and several techniques for assessing proteoglycan content in cartilage. Most of this work has been done in the knee or other extremities, due to technical difficulties associated with scanning areas such as the hip and torso at 7 Tesla. In this manuscript, we first provide some technical context for 7 Tesla imaging, including challenges and potential advantages. We then review the major quantitative MRI techniques being applied to musculoskeletal applications on 7 Tesla whole-body systems.
Highlights
Several major MRI vendors have, over the past decade, made available 7 Tesla whole body scanners
Given the promise of a 7 Tesla whole body system with planned CE (European Union) and FDA (United States) authorization for musculoskeletal MR imaging applications, we aim to provide in this review a high-level overview of some of these musculoskeletal applications, with a specific focus on quantitative imaging techniques
We review the major quantitative MRI techniques being applied to musculoskeletal applications on 7 Tesla whole-body systems
Summary
Several major MRI vendors have, over the past decade, made available 7 Tesla whole body scanners. These scanners are generally not yet approved for clinical use, but have garnered significant interest at research institutions due to the promise of better image quality from the higher field strength (resulting in a stronger MR signal). We conclude by making the case that 7 Tesla quantitative musculoskeletal MRI could provide significant advantages over lower field strengths for certain body areas (e.g., the knee and extremities) and certain applications (e.g., assessment of proteoglycan content in cartilage, detection of small morphological changes in cartilage over time). We feel the case for 7 Tesla is much less compelling for other areas, such as the torso and hip
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