Making MRI Scans 10X Faster with Machine Learning
We are witnesses of the rapid progress of the technological sciences in every part of our everyday life. This means that it is more than important to make progress in the medical fields. This is very crucial for the human’s life and it is significant because the health of the people is the key to every other success.
The MRI scan and equipment that are available to the medical organizations are the right devices that help in the diagnostics and the final treatment of their patients. Most of the doctors are facing some difficulties in their fields of imaging just because they are stuck in the moment of full-time job with so many patients. They run out of proper time for every person and because of this, they are less dedicated to the patients. With the new and advanced medical equipment, all these problems are resolving step by step.
In the area of MRI scans, engineers are trying to make this process faster not only to save money but also to make the procedure available to more patients. With the appearance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) all this makes sense.
Improvements in the MRI market
Scientists have worked on tools that are the perfect solution to speed up the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans. They use artificial intelligence to create the MRI scans to be ten times faster. Also, machine learning technology is the second essential part which helps in the MRI scan improvements.
After the finish of the project, the engineers noticed that the new MRI scan was able to produce new scans with fewer data. They have noticed that if the MRI machine works well with less data, the scanning procedure could be sped up completely. This is a great option for those patients who are claustrophobic, those who are in pain, or simply those who have a problem with the length of the procedure of the MRI scans. Because of this, engineers work on improvements of the medical devices and in this case to speed up the procedure. So, the initial focus of the people who work on the project is to change the way of operating the MRI machines.
The use of new technologies is good because this way more patients would be treated with lower costs and this way the radiant exposure from x-rays to CT scans would be lower too. Even though we speak about machine learning, Artificial Intelligence can also speed up the MRI procedure simply by training neural networks to recognize the structure of the photos and fill in views. The procedure is practically the same as how the brain in humans can receive an incomplete image and fill in missing parts. The main point is that the neural networks must bridge gaps without hurting accuracy.
However, an MRI device usually takes 2D images and later stacks them to create 3D versions. Scientists have a vision that machine learning can perform less-detailed MRI scans by intelligently filling in the gaps. This will eventually cut down the MRI scan up to 90%. The main goal is to run an MRI device ten times faster than previously but to accomplish a great image quality level that with the conventional methods.
Many companies that are in the manufacturing field use Artificial Intelligence tools that will predict the need for maintenance before total breakdown happens. A broken MRI device is very costly and inconvenient for hospitals. With the help of AI algorithms, there would be predictions about regular maintenance just for defects prevention.
It is good to know that accelerated MRI machines could reduce the amount of time a patient has to hold their breath during the imaging process of their liver, heart, or other organs in the torso and abdomen. The increased speed will let MRI machines to fill the role of an X-ray or CT machines for some applications. This way, patients will avoid the ionizing radiation which is associated with those types of scans.
Summary
It is good that the rapid progress of technology is brought to the radiology field in dentistry. We need improvements in every medical machine especially in those which are somehow harmful to the patients. Making MRI machines ten times faster is a good choice especially in the bigger cities because, in one day, the radiologist can have more patients than regular. This way, the patients won’t have to wait for months to receive this type of scan. The fast MRI machine means that the patients would gain more time for their diagnose and treatment and they won’t spend their precious time.
Even though this is a new method which still needs to be proved, there are positive marks about this advancement. Scientists work for a better future and better health condition of humans.