This analysis demonstrates a reduction of acoustic noise during MRI scans, implying improved patient comfort and unchanged image quality.
Motivation: Patient comfort and well-being during the MRI scan are strongly influenced by the acoustic noise experienced during the MRI scan. At lower main magnetic field, lower Lorentz forces are encountered and therefore sound levels are lower compared to high-field MRI. Goal(s): Whisper level MRI without compromising image quality Approach: Gradient strength, scan parameters, and acceleration can be adjusted to achieve a sound level reduction of roughly 30dB compared to 1.5T for neuro and lumbar spine protocols. Results: Image quality of T1w, T2w, FLAIR, DWI and SWI is non-inferior standard protocols, all acquired in a total of 14 minutes for the neuro protocol. Impact: We show that acoustic noise at 0.6T can be reduced to very low levels with a relatively small increase in scan time and same image quality. This can drastically improve the patient experience.
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Nagtegaal et al. (2025) studied this question.
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