MRI

3T MRI

Rhode Island Hospital is the first hospital in the region to offer 3T MRI, the latest imaging technology of its kind. Its larger and more open design allows for a more comfortable experience and its technology gives your physician better results. 3T MRI images are read and interpreted by fellowship-trained radiologists at Rhode Island Hospital to ensure the most detailed and efficient diagnoses. 3T, or 3 Tesla, MRI uses a more technologically advanced magnet that gets results more quickly and accurately. But like a traditional MRI, images are created using safe radio waves and magnetic fields, and are free of high-energy radiation.

3T MRI Scanning Technology

  • Greater accuracy of diagnosis. Optimized image quality plus interpretation by subspecialist fellowship-trained radiologists at Rhode Island Hospital ensure the most accurate and efficient diagnosis.
  • Unlimited imaging potential. In addition to the largest magnet bore available, at 1.5 or 3T, an array of lightweight coils designed to match the patient's anatomy creates a matrix enabling extreme imaging precision and flexibility, from single organ exams to full-body scans. Patients of almost any size can be scanned head to toe, front to back, and side to side in a single pass.
  • Improved contrast enhancement detection. 3T MRI provides near doubling of contrast enhancement detection, enabling the potential for improved lesion detection or reduced contrast volume administration in patients at risk for contrast related morbidity.
  • Increased value in special applications. 3T technology enables more uniform fat suppression that may improve pathology detection in applications involving anatomic sites with high or irregular fat content such as breast and musculoskeletal imaging.
3T MRI machine
3T MRI provides the superior image quality required for preoperative planning, post-surgical follow-up, and regular and long-term monitoring.

What to Expect

Your 3T MRI will likely be faster and more comfortable than other MRI scans you may have had in the past. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with better comfort and the knowledge that you are receiving the best imaging and most accurate diagnosis currently available. Rhode Island Hospital's 3T MRI scanner is wider than traditional MRI systems. The larger dimensions accommodate a wider range of body sizes and shapes, including patients who weigh up to 550 pounds. The 3T machine allows for more head, leg and elbow room than traditional MRI machines. The 3T MRI machine is less enclosed and more spacious than traditional MRI. Patients may feel less claustrophobic in the 3T MRI than in traditional scanners. And though 3T MRI is just as safe, it is much more powerful, reducing the length of the test. During your scan you can enjoy music or watch DVDs on a flat-panel screen.

The nature of 3T MRI scanning makes it especially useful in many clinical applications. The superior image clarity produced by 3T is particularly beneficial for imaging tumors and other conditions involving the brain, spine, and musculoskeletal and vascular systems.

Other special applications include advanced brain imaging such as:

  • Brain spectroscopy
  • Brain perfusion imaging
  • Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
  • Tractography
  • Arterial Spin Label (ASL) imaging
  • FA (fractional anisotrophy) mapping
  • Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI)

3T MRI provides the superior image quality required for preoperative planning, post-surgical follow-up, and regular and long-term monitoring. 3T MRI can be used alone or in conjunction with other tests, increasing the possibility of earlier diagnosis and treatment, and more positive outcomes.

MRI