Sealed Magnet Delivers Helium-Free MRI Scanning
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 27 Sep 2018 |

Image: The Ingenia Ambition X 1.5T MRI with BlueSeal magnet technology (Photo courtesy of Philips Healthcare).
A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner includes a fully sealed magnet that enables helium-free operations, and other innovations that help system reduce downtime.
The Royal Philips (Philips; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Ingenia Ambition X 1.5T MRI with BlueSeal magnet technology permanently seals helium inside the device, reducing the total amount of helium needed to operate a conventional MRI system (1,500 liters) to less than 0.5% (a mere seven liters). As a result, the fully sealed system is around 900 kg lighter than its predecessor and does not require a vent pipe, significantly reducing siting challenges and construction costs resulting from the use of conventional magnets.
The Ingenia Ambition X includes features that deliver a step-change in productivity. The EasySwitch solution allows the BlueSeal magnetic field to be easily turned off if an item is stuck in the bore; once resolved, an automated ramp-up sequence brings the magnet back to operation, minimizing downtime. Ingenia Ambition X also combines guided patient setup and Adaptive Intelligence (AI) driven SmartExam analytics for automatic planning, scanning, and processing, freeing up time to enable a single operator to manage the full scan from the patient's side with just a single touch of a button.
Other features include Philips Compressed SENSE, an advanced acceleration application that reduces exam times by up to 50%. In addition, Philips VitalEye adds a unique approach to detecting patient physiology and breathing movement, using algorithms to intelligently extract signs of breathing, thus allowing exam set-up time to take less than a minute, even for less experienced operators. Together, these innovations help to standardize and speed up clinical workflow, allowing clinicians to focus on the patient.
“MRI provides exceptional diagnostic and therapy guidance capabilities, but it also places substantial operational demands on the hospital or imaging center due to requirements for installation, footprint, and service,” said Arjen Radder, global business leader for MRI at Philips. “The fully-sealed magnet dramatically reduces the amount of liquid helium needed to cool the magnet. This results in significant operational benefits, including a smaller, lighter, and more flexible installation footprint, and a more efficient return to normal operations, if an interruption in service should ever occur.”
"We are very proud to be the first hospital in the world to offer this new cutting edge, resource-friendly MRI technology to our patients,” said Andreas Steinauer, MD, chief radiologist at Spital Uster Hospital (Switzerland). “With the new Philips Ingenia Ambition X our patients can have the best of two worlds: leading MRI technology with a smaller footprint. This new, leaner platform will allow more sites to deliver advanced MRI technology to their patients, helping to improve patient care.”
Liquid helium is used to keep superconducting magnets cool in an MRI machine. But although Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen), decades of imprudent use have resulted in its depletion. The mandated sell-off of the U.S. national reserve prompted the U.S. Congress to pass the Helium Stewardship Act, designed to ease the pending global helium shortage. The recent discovery of one of the world’s biggest helium gas fields in the Tanzanian Rift Valley in Africa can also safeguard the future of MRI scanners.
The Royal Philips (Philips; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Ingenia Ambition X 1.5T MRI with BlueSeal magnet technology permanently seals helium inside the device, reducing the total amount of helium needed to operate a conventional MRI system (1,500 liters) to less than 0.5% (a mere seven liters). As a result, the fully sealed system is around 900 kg lighter than its predecessor and does not require a vent pipe, significantly reducing siting challenges and construction costs resulting from the use of conventional magnets.
The Ingenia Ambition X includes features that deliver a step-change in productivity. The EasySwitch solution allows the BlueSeal magnetic field to be easily turned off if an item is stuck in the bore; once resolved, an automated ramp-up sequence brings the magnet back to operation, minimizing downtime. Ingenia Ambition X also combines guided patient setup and Adaptive Intelligence (AI) driven SmartExam analytics for automatic planning, scanning, and processing, freeing up time to enable a single operator to manage the full scan from the patient's side with just a single touch of a button.
Other features include Philips Compressed SENSE, an advanced acceleration application that reduces exam times by up to 50%. In addition, Philips VitalEye adds a unique approach to detecting patient physiology and breathing movement, using algorithms to intelligently extract signs of breathing, thus allowing exam set-up time to take less than a minute, even for less experienced operators. Together, these innovations help to standardize and speed up clinical workflow, allowing clinicians to focus on the patient.
“MRI provides exceptional diagnostic and therapy guidance capabilities, but it also places substantial operational demands on the hospital or imaging center due to requirements for installation, footprint, and service,” said Arjen Radder, global business leader for MRI at Philips. “The fully-sealed magnet dramatically reduces the amount of liquid helium needed to cool the magnet. This results in significant operational benefits, including a smaller, lighter, and more flexible installation footprint, and a more efficient return to normal operations, if an interruption in service should ever occur.”
"We are very proud to be the first hospital in the world to offer this new cutting edge, resource-friendly MRI technology to our patients,” said Andreas Steinauer, MD, chief radiologist at Spital Uster Hospital (Switzerland). “With the new Philips Ingenia Ambition X our patients can have the best of two worlds: leading MRI technology with a smaller footprint. This new, leaner platform will allow more sites to deliver advanced MRI technology to their patients, helping to improve patient care.”
Liquid helium is used to keep superconducting magnets cool in an MRI machine. But although Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen), decades of imprudent use have resulted in its depletion. The mandated sell-off of the U.S. national reserve prompted the U.S. Congress to pass the Helium Stewardship Act, designed to ease the pending global helium shortage. The recent discovery of one of the world’s biggest helium gas fields in the Tanzanian Rift Valley in Africa can also safeguard the future of MRI scanners.
Latest MRI News
- Biparametric MRI Combined with AI Enhances Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer
- First-Of-Its-Kind AI-Driven Brain Imaging Platform to Better Guide Stroke Treatment Options
- New Model Improves Comparison of MRIs Taken at Different Institutions
- Groundbreaking New Scanner Sees 'Previously Undetectable' Cancer Spread
- First-Of-Its-Kind Tool Analyzes MRI Scans to Measure Brain Aging
- AI-Enhanced MRI Images Make Cancerous Breast Tissue Glow
- AI Model Automatically Segments MRI Images
- New Research Supports Routine Brain MRI Screening in Asymptomatic Late-Stage Breast Cancer Patients
- Revolutionary Portable Device Performs Rapid MRI-Based Stroke Imaging at Patient's Bedside
- AI Predicts After-Effects of Brain Tumor Surgery from MRI Scans
- MRI-First Strategy for Prostate Cancer Detection Proven Safe
- First-Of-Its-Kind 10' x 48' Mobile MRI Scanner Transforms User and Patient Experience
- New Model Makes MRI More Accurate and Reliable
- New Scan Method Shows Effects of Treatment on Lung Function in Real Time
- Simple Scan Could Identify Patients at Risk for Serious Heart Problems
- Pioneering MRI Technique Detects Pre-Malignant Pancreatic Lesions for The First Time
Channels
Radiography
view channel
AI-Powered Mammography Screening Boosts Cancer Detection in Single-Reader Settings
A new study has revealed that an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solution significantly improves cancer detection in single-reader mammography settings without increasing recall rates, offering a... Read more
Photon Counting Detectors Promise Fast Color X-Ray Images
For many years, healthcare professionals have depended on traditional 2D X-rays to diagnose common bone fractures, though small fractures or soft tissue damage, such as cancers, can often be missed.... Read moreUltrasound
view channel
Artificial Intelligence Detects Undiagnosed Liver Disease from Echocardiograms
Echocardiography is a diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasound to visualize the heart and its associated structures. This imaging test is commonly used as an early screening method when doctors suspect... Read more
Ultrasound Imaging Non-Invasively Tracks Tumor Response to Radiation and Immunotherapy
While immunotherapy holds promise in the fight against triple-negative breast cancer, many patients fail to respond to current treatments. A major challenge has been predicting and monitoring how individual... Read moreNuclear Medicine
view channel
Novel Radiotracer Identifies Biomarker for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which represents 15-20% of all breast cancer cases, is one of the most aggressive subtypes, with a five-year survival rate of about 40%. Due to its significant heterogeneity... Read more
Innovative PET Imaging Technique to Help Diagnose Neurodegeneration
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease, are often diagnosed only after physical symptoms appear, by which time treatment may no longer be effective.... Read moreGeneral/Advanced Imaging
view channel
AI Reduces CT Lung Cancer Screening Workload by Almost 80%
Lung cancer impacts over 48,000 individuals in the UK annually, and early detection is key to improving survival rates. The UK Lung Cancer Screening (UKLS) trial has already shown that low-dose CT (LDCT)... Read more
Cutting-Edge Technology Combines Light and Sound for Real-Time Stroke Monitoring
Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, claiming millions of lives each year. Ischemic stroke, in particular, occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain becomes blocked.... Read more
AI System Detects Subtle Changes in Series of Medical Images Over Time
Traditional approaches for analyzing longitudinal image datasets typically require significant customization and extensive pre-processing. For instance, in studies of the brain, researchers often begin... Read more
New CT Scan Technique to Improve Prognosis and Treatments for Head and Neck Cancers
Cancers of the mouth, nose, and throat are becoming increasingly common in the U.S., particularly among younger individuals. Approximately 60,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with 20% of these cases... Read moreImaging IT
view channel
New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible
Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Global AI in Medical Diagnostics Market to Be Driven by Demand for Image Recognition in Radiology
The global artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics market is expanding with early disease detection being one of its key applications and image recognition becoming a compelling consumer proposition... Read moreIndustry News
view channel
Siemens and Sectra Collaborate on Enhancing Radiology Workflows
Siemens Healthineers (Forchheim, Germany) and Sectra (Linköping, Sweden) have entered into a collaboration aimed at enhancing radiologists' diagnostic capabilities and, in turn, improving patient care... Read more