Non-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the small bowel at 7 Tesla in comparison to 1.5 Tesla: First steps towards clinical application.

Objective: To perform non-enhanced (NE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the small bowel at 7 Tesla (7T) and to compare it with 1.5 Tesla (1.5T).

Material And Methods: Twelve healthy subjects were prospectively examined using a 1.5T and 7T MRI system. Coronal and axial true fast imaging with steady-state precession (TrueFISP) imaging and a coronal T2-weighted (T2w) half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) sequence were acquired. Image analysis was performed by 1) visual evaluation of tissue contrast and detail detectability, 2) measurement and calculation of contrast ratios and 3) assessment of artifacts.

Results: NE MRI of the small bowel at 7T was technically feasible. In the vast majority of the cases, tissue contrast and image details were equivalent at both field strengths. At 7T, two cases revealed better detail detectability in the TrueFISP, and better contrast in the HASTE. Susceptibility artifacts and B1 inhomogeneities were significantly increased at 7T.

Conclusion: This study provides first insights into NE ultra-high field MRI of the small bowel and may be considered an important step towards high quality T2w abdominal imaging at 7T MRI.