While MRI vendors rarely discuss contamination issues, they can have major ramifications for imaging facilities. Fortunately, Robert Junk and Tobias Gilk of specialty architecture firm Junk Architects have penned an article on the topic.
Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Could your MRI scanner be producing magnetic contamination? Chances are it is. And if you don't take measures to prevent it, you can forget about using your MRI suite for anything but paper file storage for the life of the building.
While MRI vendors rarely discuss contamination issues, they can have major ramifications for imaging facilities. Fortunately, Robert Junk and Tobias Gilk of specialty architecture firm Junk Architects have penned an article on the topic that we're featuring this week in our MRI Digital Community.
The massive magnetic fields created by MRI scanners can essentially turn all of the steel near the imaging suite -- such as steel framing or rebar -- into a permanent magnet. This can wreak havoc on computers or other imaging equipment that might be moved into the suite after a magnet is relocated or decommissioned.
Think it's not a problem? Try telling that to your landlord when you move out of the building. And things could get even worse with the new 3-tesla magnets that are increasingly finding their way into the clinical setting.
Fortunately, you can mitigate the effects of magnetic contamination through clever planning and design. And you can learn some of the tips and tricks right in our MRI Digital Community, at mri.auntminnie.com.
