Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) www.lanl.gov have created a portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine for use in remote and underserved locations such as in the battlefield and in remote hospitals that lack large medical facilities found in rural areas in New Mexico.
The newly developed Battlefield MRI (bMRI) uses Ultra-Low Field (ULF) MRI to create images of injured soft tissues, such as the brain. Today, scientists are studying whether ULF MRI’s actually produce images with better contrast.
“Conventional hospital-based MRI devices are big and expensive,” says Michelle Espy, the bMRI project leader. “However, the bMRI is a much lighter, less expensive, and a low-power alternative.”
Dr. Steve Schiff, a Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Pennsylvania State University www.pennstatehersey.org spends part of his time at a hospital in Uganda where he is studying and treating hydrocephalus, a condition leading to brain swelling. In developing countries where MRIs are not widely available, little can be done to treat the brain swelling.
However, life-saving treatments such as a shunt or surgical incision to help drain the fluid could be possible with a ULF MRI image to see where the fluid buildup is and the approach to take. Although the images are not as high quality as those from an HF MRI system, they would most likely show enough information to guide treatment.
With further development and funding LANL is optimistic that the bMRI will help soldiers wounded in the battlefield, help in remote hospitals in developing countries, and help in U.S communities in the U.S. LANL is looking for successful commercialization of the bMRI.