Comparison and Classification of Acoustic Levels of MRI Sequences

Abstract

At the present time, medical imaging based on the principle of magnetic resonance represents an essential part of modern diagnostics. In proportion to the expansion of its clinical applications grow the requirements on technical solutions. Higher gradient fields bring improvement of image quality, but at the same time significantly raise the level of noise generated during the examination. Numerous studies dealing with this issue led to technical improvements in the design of MRI scanners in order to reduce to a minimum the peak noise, long-term acoustic exposure, and consequently the risk of damage of hearing organs of the patient and the staff. The time factor is also nonnegligible – the longer the examination lasts, the greater the risk of possible damage to the auditory organ is, especially for long-term exposed persons. Ensuring acoustic comfort during the examination – while maintaining high diagnostic yield – is an important aim of modern MR diagnosis. This article summarizes the results of experimental measurements on a widespread 1.5 T MR scanner. The most commonly used MR sequences were investigated. The results of this article should contribute to the results achieved so far and will hopefully lead to a proposal and implementation for both passive and active reduction of noise.

The original version of this chapter was inadvertently published with an incorrect chapter pagination 768–772 and DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32703-7_150. The page range and the DOI has been re-assigned. The correct page range is 774–778 and the DOI is 10.1007/978-3-319-32703-7_151. The erratum to this chapter is available at DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-32703-7_260

An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32703-7_260