Impact of Acoustic Noise Reduction on Patient Experience in Routine Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Objectives: Acoustic noise emission from MRI scanners is considered a major factor of patient discomfort during routine MRI examinations. We prospectively evaluated the impact of acoustic noise reduction using software implementations in routine clinical MRI on subjective patient experience and image quality.

Methods: Two-hundred consecutive patients undergoing one of four MRI examinations (brain, lumbar spine, shoulder, and knee) at a single center were prospectively randomized into two groups at a 1 to 1 ratio: standard MRI examination and MRI examination with acoustic noise reduction.