Abstract #2047

Stadler J, Dietz P, Baumgart F, Brechmann A

The acoustic noise generated by the switching of magnetic gradients of MR-scanners becomes an important safety issue especially at ultra-high field (7 Tesla) as these scanners can produce noise levels above 130-140 dB. We reduced the noise of a 7 Tesla scanner in a two-step procedure: By passive sound insulation, we first reduced the scanner-noise to a level comparable to a conventional 3 Tesla scanner. Second, we implemented a FLASH sequence with long gradient rise time for functional imaging which further reduced the scanner noise to < 50 dB SPL at the subjects ear.