Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Is high-field MRI harmful?

Although high-field MRI has been already tested in humans and considered safe to do clinical studies, there is some new evidence concerning high-field MRI. Apparently, there is a link between depression and the high-field MRI radiographers. I was very surprised by this link. The complete news is here.

My personal thought is that working with high-field MRI might cause depression, not because of the high-field itself, but because working with high-field MRI can be a constant "this is not working that well"! Imagine to work with a machine that is constantly giving problems... I would be depressed too!

I hope there is more clarification about this matter in the future. It is time that we know the long term effects of MRI fields.

3 comments:

  1. What would be considered 'high field' (in Tesla), are we talking functional MRI or general diagnostics

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    1. Hello. Thank you for your question.

      In MRI, it is considered high-field when the magnetic field is higher than 3T. Therefore, 1, 1.5 and 3T scanners are not considered high-field MRI. Scanners with 7T, 9.4T and 11.7 are considered high-field.

      General diagnostic as well as fMRI studies can be performed in any of this scanners, including standard fields. When performing diagnostics in a high-field scanner, the patient/volunteer has to consent it. However, it was not showed any risks for patients who undergo such acquisitions. This study only shows effects on people working on a daily basis with these scanners.

      I hope I answered your doubts. Feel free to ask more!

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