STOP Looking: Ultra-High Field Killer Applications Found
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Dennis Klomp, Armin Michael Nagel, Veronika Rackayova

Monday, 13 May 2019

Session Number: MIS-01

Overview
This Symposium was proposed by the MR Spectroscopy study group.

The potential of metabolic MRI has been recognized decades ago. Despite some clinical use, this group of methods has not prevailed as a diagnostic tool. Limitations in SNR at 1.5T and 3T and the lack of state-of-the art implementations by vendors and clinically available RF coils for X-nuclei prevented large scale clinical trials. Recent innovation and breakthroughs in ultrahigh field MRI largely pushed the diagnostic power of metabolic MRI and, for the first time, revealed candidates of killer applications.

This symposium, organized in collaboration of two large study groups (Spectroscopy and X-Nuclei), presents a snapshot of ultrahigh
field developments, specifically tailored to potential clinical use and true patient benefit of metabolic MRI. Six presentations describing and advocating the most promising killer applications will be followed by a constructive podium discussion (involving panel of clinicians) on the methods’ diagnostic suitability and likelihood of prevailing in clinical practice. Our goal is a controversial assessment of the methods' true potential.

Target Audience
Physicians and scientists interested in learning about the diagnostic potential of ultra-high field metabolic MRI.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Review current metabolic MRI techniques with the largest clinical potential;
- Explain the way these methods work and the information they provide;
- Describe the remaining hurdles for clinical implementation and use at UHF; and
- Implement state-of-the-art UHF metabolic imaging methods in the clinic for patient benefit.