Evaluation of a 0.05 T low-field MRI system for canine brain imaging via comparison with images acquired at 1.5 T field strength: a pilot cadaver study
TL;DR
Preliminary evaluation suggestive that this 0.05 T MRI device can aid with the detection of hydrocephalus is suggestive, and future in vivo studies are required to evaluate the device's true clinical application.
Abstract
Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems continue to grow in number in veterinary and human medicine with higher field strength magnets increasingly available; however, the associated high costs have created healthcare inequities. This technical feasibility study aimed to evaluate a low-cost, portable, and permanent magnet-based 0.05 T low-field system (LF), originally designed for human neuroimaging, for assessing the canine brain. By using 23 canine cadavers, a scanning protocol was developed, consisting of transverse T1-weighted (T1w) and T2-weighted (T2w) sequences, and compared to a 1.5 T (HF) protocol for the visibility of 22 anatomical features. For the purpose of hydrocephalus evaluation, the LF system showed non-inferior detection of the lateral ventricles (LV) and mesencephalic aqueduct on T2w sequences with >90% conditional probability for detecting these features on the LF, given they were present on the HF. For T1w sequences, the LF system had inconclusive non-inferiority for detection of LV with 76.6% conditional probability. In summary, a canine brain scanning protocol was successfully developed for a 0.05 T MRI with preliminary evaluation suggestive that this device can aid with the detection of hydrocephalus. Future in vivo studies are required to evaluate the device's true clinical application.