MRI stress-testing
Putting our scanners through their paces
Why are we stress-testing our MRI scanners?
patient safety
product reliability
sustainability
What if an MRI got hit by a magnetic object? Or the wrong settings were set before a scan? What if a patient-table got stuck during an emergency? There is an unlimited number of things that could go wrong, and still all our scanners have to fulfill specific criteria ensuring – no matter the scenario – their safety, reliability, and sustainability.
In short this is why we're testing - but certainly as important as the why is the how. So next question:
How are we stress-testing our MRI scanners?
The outside
Temperature, transport and other environmental influences
surfaces
tables
environments
The outer layer of an MRI must be able to withstand a lot. Not only environmental influences such as temperature and transport conditions, but also impact damage. MRIs generate a magnetic field that can strongly pull any magnetic object in the immediate surrounding area at high speed.
Ball impact test
Standard finger test
Patient table test
Achieving specified image quality
The inside
Interfaces, data transmission and processing
connectors
wires
signals
The inside of an MRI is where all the magic happens. Electrical signals are transmitted, processed and returned. Electromagnetic waves are recorded and translated into clinical images. And all this must run smoothly and reliably.
