Ultrahigh Field MR Safety: Increasing Access & Expanding Applications
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Gregory Metzger, Ross Venook

Tuesday, 14 May 2019

Session Number: MIS-10

Overview
This Symposium was proposed by the High Field Systems & Applications study group.

Ultrahigh field MR (UHF-MR) is moving forward at an amazing speed. With more than 45,000 exams already performed at 7.0T, the reasons for moving UHF-MR into clinical applications are more compelling than ever. While the MRI systems continue to evolve and clinical imaging at UHF is approved by governing regulatory agencies, the roadblocks to translating research developments to the clinic and larger subject/patient populations have become evident. Concerns about subject safety at UHF both limit both 1) the volunteers and patients we dare to put in UHF systems, and 2) the hardware and RF management strategies we can confidently use. These safety concerns both decrease access to the benefits of UHF and limit the applications that can be pursued on these systems. This Symposium capitalizes on the findings of collaborative groups within the ISMRM and individual research efforts to address these limitations to subject access and application development. By combining these topics in one symposium and providing state-of-the-art science and leading consensus thinking, we hope to stimulate the growth of the field and build confidence and dialogue towards achieving the true potential of UHF.

Target Audience
Clinicians, basic scientists, engineers, and translational researchers involved in or developing UHF-MR programs.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe the overall safety concerns for translating UHF-MR methods into the broader subject/patient population;
- Articulate the UHF specific safety concerns and how they differ from current clinical field strengths;
- Explain the current roadblocks and the developing methods/processes to overcome the limitations to increased subject/patient acces; and
- Better identify the true safety hazards to improve risk-benefit assessments thus potentially opening up UHF-MR to a wider segment of the population.