A 3.0 Tesla MRI System in a Neuroscience ICU

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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.