Why Do We Need MRI Safe Medical Devices: MRI Safety Expert, Dr. Krishna Singhal

Written by: James Carnell

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred technique for diagnosing a large number of medical conditions and injuries. It is superior to other radiological imaging modalities and its abundant physiological and functional applications have led to a significant increase in MRI scans worldwide. MRI is a particularly efficient diagnostic method for identifying diseases related to spine lesions, tumors, and strokes impacting blood vessels and the area of the brain. The increasing occurrence of these diseases is expected to greatly impact the growth of MRI use. For instance, the examination may be essential in cancer diagnosis. According to the American Cancer Society’s report of 2019, over 1.7 million early-stage cancer cases were discovered in the U.S, many of them as a result of an MRI examination.

An MRI scan is a simple and painless procedure, aimed at obtaining detailed images of organs and tissues, which is sometimes necessary for making a precise diagnosis. Unlike X-ray or CT exams, MRI scans use a powerful magnetic field and computational technology to create an image, which is later analysed in order to identify an injury or disease. The patient is placed inside of a scanner, which is a cylindrical bore, and is subjected to a chain of interactions between the radiowaves and bodily protons. The results are visible to the technician immediately, allowing further diagnostic steps to proceed right away. Even though the examination is simple and non-invasive, many patients feel nervous about getting into the MRI scanner. This concern is mostly related to the risk of exacerbating claustrophobic reactions and the fact that the experience is uncomfortably loud. There are also other, more substantial, risks associated with MRI scanning and ruling them out is essential in the patient treatment process. Dr. Krishna Singhal, a scholar and expert in MRI safety explains why.

For over a decade, Dr. Singhal has been fascinated by the concepts of radiofrequency (RF) safety, electromagnetic compatibility and issues concerning magnetic resonance imaging. After graduating from Purdue University (located at West Lafayette, Indiana) first with a Master's degree and then with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Dr. Singhal threw himself into a roller coaster of research, academic projects and priceless scholarly achievements that now constitute the backbone of his rich and unparalleled experience.

According to Dr. Singhal, the powerful magnetic field of the MRI system has the potential to damage an external hearing aid and could cause a cardiac pacemaker, electrical stimulator, or neurostimulator to malfunction or even cause injury. If a patient has a metallic fragment in their body - he explains - there is a potential risk that it could change or shift positions which could in turn cause an injury. Another primary safety concern related to MRI scanning is metallic medical implant heating, which may occur as a result of absorbing radiofrequency energy. In addition, a metallic implant or object may cause signal loss or even alter the MR images, making the scans difficult, or even impossible, for the radiologist to analyse correctly.

Dr. Singhal believes that today, with the increasing popularity of this technique, MRI safety is more important than ever. Accidents of injury during the MRI scanning process have occured in the past, although they are rather rare. According to the FDA's Adverse Events report, patients who had a titanium rod and screws implanted in their humerus suffered a second degree burn on their arms after the examination. Unfortunately, as a result of this accident, they lost feeling in their arms.

Examples like these are why experts, like Dr. Singhal, are committed to researching computational and experimental methods to determine temperature increases induced by RF fields, as well as to modeling and testing for MRI safety of implantable active devices.

“Performing a comprehensive MRI safety characterization during the product development phase vastly reduces MRI-related accidents in the patients later on during actual scanning,” says Dr. Singhal. According to the expert, MRI technology is superior to other methods in detecting axonal injury, small areas of contusion, and subtle neuronal damage. The growing demand for quick and effective diagnostics procedures will contribute towards the wide adoption of MRI machines globally and he hopes to make this highly beneficial method both safe and accessible so that patients with implantable medical devices can have expanded access to MRI.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes