King’s College London (King’s) is driving efforts to make new MRI technology more accessible in community settings through virtually helium-free MRI research with the first MAGNETOM Free.Max in the UK from Siemens Healthineers. The reduced-helium MRI allows the King’s team to evaluate this type of MRI for use outside of a traditional hospital setting, while also using a lower field strength, expanding the scope of research into cardiac, respiratory, and foetal brain development imaging that was previously not possible.
The delivery of the first MAGNETOM Free.Max at King’s College London, alongside funding by Research England, breaks the barriers of conventional MRI, enabling research previously not possible for the department.
Unlike conventional MRI systems, the MAGNETOM Free.Max requires less than one litre of liquid helium for cooling, an increasingly scarce resource, eliminating the need for a quench pipe which is otherwise used to safely and quickly expel helium out of a scanner in case of an emergency. The virtually helium-free MRI scanner radically reduces infrastructure requirements, enabling it to be installed in community-based settings.
King’s College London, one of the world leading universities in imaging sciences1, has an existing relationship with Siemens Healthineers and has partnered with the Research and Development team to provide additional insight into research projects utilising other MRI systems including 1.5T, 3T and 7T MRI systems from Siemens Healthineers.
The addition of the 0.55T MAGNETOM Free.Max within the King’s Advanced MRI Centre at St Thomas’ Hospital (part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust) expands research capabilities and exploits currently existing high-tech facilities, such as a Radio Frequency Coil Lab.
The research team at King’s College London plans to use the lower field of 0.55T for imaging research into areas that are more challenging for MRI at 1.5T and above, such as respiratory imaging, interventional radiology, and scanning patients with implants as diagnostic capabilities are strongly improved.
This first of its kind MRI also features an 80cm bore, the entry space for patients, which will provide a more comfortable scanning experience for claustrophobic and bariatric patients, increasing the likelihood of participation in studies. Augmented with AI, the system supports the automation of routine examinations – reducing cognitive load for researchers and opening new possibilities for radiographers faced with increasing time pressures.