NARAYANA
READIES PATIENT-FRIENDLY 3 TESLA SCANNER
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| It came on a flatbed
truck May 5. Cranes were put into motion, walls were broken down,
and 20-foot-plus tall stabilizing posts were constructed all the
way down to the basement floor to make room for this newest MRI Center
addition — a 6 ton 3 Tesla scanner. |
| Dr. Ponnada A.
Narayana, Principal Investigator, was recently awarded a grant from
the National Institutes of Health in the amount of $500,000.00 to
conduct research using the 3 T Whole Body Magnetic Resonance Scanner. |
| “I’m
hoping by the early part of August or by the latter part of July
to have the magnet fully functioning and operational,”said
Dr. Ponnada Narayana, professor and director, Magnetic Resonance
Research, Department of Radiology. |
| Narayana projects
treating 1,250 patients annually to become a self-supporting, break-even
venture. |
| A $500,000 NIH
grant, “3 T Whole Body Magnetic Resonance Scanner,” has
been very important in supporting the scanner’s debut. |
| An earlier and
heavier scanner (See
Scoop Oct. 3, 2003), the 7 Tesla, was delivered eight months
ago. |
| How does a 3 Tesla
scanner operate? The magnet employs a close cycle refrigeration system.
The evaporated liquid helium that is used to cool the magnet, is
compressed and pumped back. |
| “That way
we only have to refill the magnet with helium once a year,” Narayana
said. Otherwise it’s very expensive to keep refilling the magnet.
Liquid helium is what keeps the current carrying conductor that produces
the magnetic field in a super conducting state. |
| How is the magnet
mechanically stabilized? “It’s very interesting,” Narayana
said. “Actually the Medical School sways back and forth, which
is common to buildings in general. But in the case of the 3 Tesla
scanner, we had to mechanically stabilize it.” |
So a construction
crew led by project manager Steve Niskanen had to separate the magnet
from the slab by building support
rods made out of steel, wood, and
concrete at the base of the platform extending all the way down to
the basement level to minimize any vibrations coming from the building. |
| The 3 Tesla is
a research-dedicated scanner. There are a number of NIH-funded researchers
from Radiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neurobiology and Anatomy,
Psychiatry, and Pediatrics, who can benefit from utilizing this particular
scanner, Narayana said. Rice University researchers also are very
interested in using this scanner for their functional MRI needs,
he added. |
| What is perhaps
unique about the 3 Tesla is its patient-friendly nature. “We
have a room with a mock scanner that helps,” Narayana said. “You
don’t want your patients – especially children – to
be apprehensive. So we condition the patient with the mock scanner.
The patient then knows what to expect, and we don’t waste valuable
magnet time.” |
| In addition, two
cameras are housed in the room. The object is twofold: to observe
how the patient is doing and to get feedback from the patient, who
can communicate directly with the operator. |
| “The good
news is that if the patients know beforehand what the process will
feel like, it makes the whole scenario run a lot smoother,” he
said. |
| The MRI Center
may be housed in a Medical School setting, but Narayana is making
sure that both clients and physician-researchers who use this facility
are treated first-rate. |
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