Low-field MRI: A report on the 2022 ISMRM workshop

Adrienne E Campbell-Washburn¹, Kathryn E Keenan², Peng Hu³, John P Mugler 3rd⁴, Krishna S Nayak^{5

6}, Andrew G Webb⁷, Johnes Obungoloch⁸, Kevin N Sheth⁹, Jürgen Hennig^{10

11}, Matthew S Rosen^{12

13}, Najat Salameh¹⁴, Daniel K Sodickson^{15

16}, Joel M Stein¹⁷, José P Marques¹⁸, Orlando P Simonetti^{19

20}

Affiliations

¹ Cardiovascular Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
² Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
³ School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
⁵ Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁶ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
⁸ Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
⁹ Division of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁰ Dept.of Radiology, Medical Physics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹¹ Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹² Massachusetts General Hospital, A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹³ Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁴ Center for Adaptable MRI Technology (AMT Center), Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Allschwil, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
¹⁶ Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁸ Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
¹⁹ Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
²⁰ Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 37345725
PMCID: PMC10683532
DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29743

Review

Low-field MRI: A report on the 2022 ISMRM workshop

Adrienne E Campbell-Washburn et al. Magn Reson Med. 2023 Oct.

. 2023 Oct;90(4):1682-1694.

doi: 10.1002/mrm.29743. Epub 2023 Jun 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Cardiovascular Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
² Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
³ School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
⁵ Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁶ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
⁸ Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
⁹ Division of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁰ Dept.of Radiology, Medical Physics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹¹ Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹² Massachusetts General Hospital, A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹³ Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁴ Center for Adaptable MRI Technology (AMT Center), Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Allschwil, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
¹⁶ Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁸ Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
¹⁹ Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
²⁰ Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 37345725
PMCID: PMC10683532
DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29743

Abstract

In March 2022, the first ISMRM Workshop on Low-Field MRI was held virtually. The goals of this workshop were to discuss recent low field MRI technology including hardware and software developments, novel methodology, new contrast mechanisms, as well as the clinical translation and dissemination of these systems. The virtual Workshop was attended by 368 registrants from 24 countries, and included 34 invited talks, 100 abstract presentations, 2 panel discussions, and 2 live scanner demonstrations. Here, we report on the scientific content of the Workshop and identify the key themes that emerged. The subject matter of the Workshop reflected the ongoing developments of low-field MRI as an accessible imaging modality that may expand the usage of MRI through cost reduction, portability, and ease of installation. Many talks in this Workshop addressed the use of computational power, efficient acquisitions, and contemporary hardware to overcome the SNR limitations associated with low field strength. Participants discussed the selection of appropriate clinical applications that leverage the unique capabilities of low-field MRI within traditional radiology practices, other point-of-care settings, and the broader community. The notion of "image quality" versus "information content" was also discussed, as images from low-field portable systems that are purpose-built for clinical decision-making may not replicate the current standard of clinical imaging. Speakers also described technical challenges and infrastructure challenges related to portability and widespread dissemination, and speculated about future directions for the field to improve the technology and establish clinical value.

Keywords: MRI hardware; accessibility; image acquisition; image reconstruction; low-field MRI; point-of-care MRI; portable MRI.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Certain commercial equipment, institutions, or materials are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose. Matthew S. Rosen is a founder and equity holder of Hyperfine, Inc., Kevin N. Sheth and Joel M. Stein receive sponsorship from Hyperfine, and Krishna S. Nayak receives funding from Siemens Healthcare. Adrienne E. Campbell-Washburn is an investigator on a research agreement with Siemens Healthcare. Daniel K. Sodickson oversees departmental research agreements with Siemens Healthcare and Hyperfine.

Figures

**FIGURE 1**
Summary of the 100 scientific abstracts presented at the ISMRM Workshop on Low-Field MRI, divided into (A) field strength, (B) topic, (C) application, and (D) system type. Colors represent field strengths as established in (A).

**FIGURE 2**
Summary of common speaker key points and discussion topics at the 2022 ISMRM Workshop on Low-Field MRI.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Simonetti OP, Ahmad R. Low-field cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: a compelling case for cardiac magnetic resonance’s future. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017;10:e005446. - PMC - PubMed
1. Qin C, Murali S, Lee E, et al. Sustainable low-field cardiovascular magnetic resonance in changing healthcare systems. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022;23:e246–e260. - PMC - PubMed
1. Arnold TC, Freeman CW, Litt B, Stein JM. Low-field MRI: clinical promise and challenges. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2022;57:25–44. - PMC - PubMed
1. Sarracanie M, Salameh N. Low-field MRI: how low can we go? A fresh view on an old debate. Front Phys Ther. 2020;8. 10.3389/fphy.2020.00172 - DOI
1. Marques JP, Simonis FFJ, Webb AG. Low-field MRI: an MR physics perspective. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019;49:1528–1542. - PMC - PubMed

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Low-field MRI: A report on the 2022 ISMRM workshop

Affiliations

Low-field MRI: A report on the 2022 ISMRM workshop

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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References

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Grants and funding

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Medical