GE Silent Scan Makes MRI Keep the Noise Down

There's a rock concert going on at your hospital and only MRI patients are invited. With levels in excess of 110 decibels, the noise from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have been a major complaint from patients and a big issue when it comes to patient comfort.

Today, GE has made Silent Scan, a technology that dramatically reduces noise from MRI scans, commercially available. It has already been implemented at Spectrum Health hospital in Grand Rapids, MI, where patient feedback has been very positive. “The response from our patients has been very gratifying. They tell us that the Silent Scans are essentially silent compared to conventional MRI scans. This reduces [patients'] anxiety about the procedure. We are particularly looking forward to providing this to our pediatric patients, claustrophobic patients, and our patients being scanned in the operating room where the noise of the traditional MRI can be disruptive,” says Dr. Mark DeLano of Spectrum Health.

Manufacturers have traditionally addressed the issue of MRI noise by placing noise dampening materials into the machine, or by dialing back the machine's performance. Silent Scan addresses the issue using a new type of 3D MR acquisition, in combination with proprietary high-fidelity gradient and RF system electronics.

Silent Scan is available on GE’s 1.5T and 3.0T systems currently available for routine head examinations.

GE has provided a video demonstrating the noise reduction capabilities of Silent Scan:

 -Chris Wiltz, Associate Editor, MD+DI
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