A 3.0 Tesla MRI System in a Neuroscience ICU

描述(由申请人提供)： 在马萨诸塞州综合医院，在神经科学重症监护病房内放置3.0特斯拉核磁共振设备的机会是独一无二的。MGH ICU是该国最大的神经科学ICU之一(17张床位)，临床工作人员渴望在ICU内安装成像设备。麻省理工学院也是A.A.Martinos生物医学成像中心(前身为MGH-核磁共振中心)的所在地，在那里，功能神经成像技术取得了许多进展。此外，马蒂诺斯中心在过去七年中获得了门诊3.0特斯拉设备的经验。随着住院患者科研经费的增加，出现了对额外研究成像能力的迫切需求，以支持这一组研究人员。该提案要求为3.0特斯拉西门子Allegra核磁共振系统提供资金。该系统是一种仅限头部的成像设备，足够小，足够明亮，可以安装在麻省理工学院主校区布莱克大楼的12层。选择该仪器是因为它的尺寸、高梯度性能和软件能力，以及它与现有仪器和由这组调查人员开发的定制软件的兼容性。研究人员使用3.0T磁铁的经验表明，对于许多研究应用来说，1.5T磁铁将是次优的。与此同时，还需要一个用户友好、患者友好的系统，并且有经过验证的记录。拟议的文书满足了所有这些需求。我们的团队在1999年提交了一个类似的申请，要求购买一块没有资金的NeurolCU磁铁。在此期间，我们一直在稳步努力，以解决围绕在这样一个具有挑战性的环境中引入磁共振成像的许多后勤和实际问题。这导致选择了更小、更轻的仪器，在ICU边缘选择了一个新的位置，并由声学和结构工程师进行了详细的评估和规划，以实现安全和有效的安装。我们还将重点放在我们的用户群体上，只包括那些其研究可以直接和显著地受益于拟议的工具的人。这一提议背后的一个关键假设是，重症监护病房的患者代表着了解疾病和生物学的不同寻常的机会。由于这些主题很难带到乐器上，我们试图通过把乐器带给他们来获得这些洞察力。拟议中的乐器将把最先进的表演带到一个独特的环境中。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A unique opportunity to place a 3.0 Tesla MRI device inside a Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit exists at the Massachusetts General Hospital. The MGH ICU is one of the largest Neuroscience ICUs in the country (17 beds) and the clinical staff is eager to site an imaging device within the ICU. MGH also is home to the A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (formerly known as the MGH-NMR Center), where a number of advances in functional neuroimaging techniques have been made. Furthermore, the Martinos Center has gained experience with outpatient 3.0 Tesla units over the past seven years. As funding for scientific work in inpatients has increased, there has arisen a critical need for additional research imaging capabilities to support this group of researchers. This proposal requests funding for a 3.0 Tesla Siemens Allegra MRI system. This system, a head-only imaging device, is small enough and lights enough to be installed on the 12th floor of the Blake Building of the main MGH campus. The instrument was chosen for its size, high gradient performance and software capabilities, as well as its compatibility with existing instrumentation and custom software developed by this group of investigators. The investigators' experience with 3.0T magnets has demonstrated that for numerous research applications, 1.5T will be suboptimal. At the same time, a user friendly, patient-friendly system with a proven track record is also needed. The proposed instrument meets all of these needs. Our team submitted a similar request in 1999 for a NeurolCU magnet that was not funded. In the interim, we have worked steadily to resolve numerous logistical and practical issues surrounding the introduction of MRI in to such a challenging environment. This has led to the choice of a smaller, lighter instrument, a new location on the edge of the ICU, and detailed assessment and planning by acoustic and structural engineers for a safe and effective installation. We have also focused our user group to include exclusively those whose research can directly and significantly benefit from the proposed instrument. A key assumption underlying this proposal is that patients in an intensive care unit represent an unusual opportunity to learn about disease and biology. Since these subjects are difficult to bring to the instrumentation, we seek to gain these insights by bringing the instrumentation to them. The proposed instrument will bring state-of-the-art performance to a unique setting.