Abstract #5425

Progress Towards a 136 mT Portable MRI for Neuropathological Assessment in Preterm Neonates

Monika Śliwiak¹, Sarah Altman^1,2, Aaron Purchase¹, Jeff Short¹, Dinank Gupta¹, Zi Xiong¹, Mathias Davids^1,3, Valerie Klein^1,3, Camilo Jaimes⁴, Sara Bates⁵, Jason Stockmann^1,3, Lawrence Wald^1,2,3, and Clarissa Zimmerman Cooley^1,3

¹Department of Radiology, A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States, ²Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States, ³Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ⁴Department of Pediatric Neuroradiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States, ⁵Department of Neonatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

Synopsis

Motivation: Premature neonates are at high risk for brain injury, but MRI assessment is severely limited by risks associated with neonate transfer.

Goal(s): We aim to develop a portable MRI system optimized for bedside neonatal brain imaging to improve early diagnosis and monitoring of cranial neurological abnormalities in the NICU (9006).

Approach: Our approach includes developing a lightweight, portable, wall-outlet-operable MRI scanner in the form of a 136 mT Halbach magnet.

Results: The completed magnet achieves a B0 strength of 136 mT, and ongoing efforts focus on gradient coil and passive shim development, as well as phantom imaging.

Impact: The 136 mT portable MRI system could transform premature neonatal brain imaging by enabling rapid diagnosis of ischemic and hemorrhagic abnormalities like GM-IVH, facilitating earlier prognosis and neuroprotective interventions and ultimately improving clinical outcomes through enhanced early imaging capabilities.

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