Skip to content
Medical Health Aged Care

Clearer and faster: 5-minute MRI’s on the horizon

Monash University 2 mins read

A 5-minute full-body MRI scan could soon become a reality with the help of a promising new AI method developed by Monash University engineers.  

In a study published in Computers in Biology and Medicine, researchers have shown how their novel AI technology, McSTRA, outperformed state-of-the-art methods, producing enhanced clinical imaging in record time. 

MRI scans can take up to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the area being scanned. The new software is capable of completing scans 10-times faster than current MRI technology, giving it the potential to reduce scan times to just minutes and boost the number of patients accessing diagnostic services. 

If further validation of the method is successful, the researchers hope to see it incorporated by manufacturers into next generation MRI equipment for use in patient settings. 

With more than 30 million Australians reliant on diagnostic services every year, some patients are forced to wait weeks to secure an appointment, creating significant delays to receiving a diagnoses.

Lead researcher and Monash PhD candidate Mevan Ekanayake, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, said reducing delays to diagnostic imaging services could save lives by enabling more timely treatment, particularly for at-risk patients. His 60-second video shows how the technology could be used to improve lives.

"When tested on abnormalities in the knee, our research showed that McSTRA could complete scans 10-times faster, and produced clearer, more clinically accurate diagnostic imaging compared to the latest technology,” Mr Ekanayake said.

“Speeding up scan times at this rate could eliminate patient wait times and has the potential to save lives by enabling more timely and accurate diagnoses and treatment monitoring. Our method could also reduce diagnostic risks in MRI and cut costs to the healthcare system.”

Mr Ekanayake said “high-risk patients awaiting urgent diagnosis would benefit most from speedier scan times, along with those living in regional and remote areas where less diagnostic services were available”.

Patients undergoing scans must remain motionless inside an MRI scanner for up to 60 minutes which can be an unpleasant experience for some.

Study senior author, Associate Professor Zhaolin Chen, Head of the Imaging Analysis at Monash Biomedical Imaging, said faster scan times could reduce patient discomfort.

“McSTRA uses superior deep-learning technology to simultaneously enhance MRI image quality and enable unprecedented scan times,” Associate Professor Chen said.

“A much shorter scan time may reduce the level of discomfort experienced by patients undergoing MRI, particularly among the vulnerable including children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities or those with claustrophobia.”

The study was a collaboration between researchers from Monash Biomedical Imaging and the Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107775

-ENDS-

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Courtney Karayannis, Senior Media Adviser
Monash University

T: +61 408 508 454 or Courtney.Karayannis@monash.edu 

Monash
University Media | +613 9903 4840 | media@monash.edu

Visit Monash Lens for expert insights and commentary. 

More from this category

  • Medical Health Aged Care
  • 06/12/2024
  • 22:55
EssilorLuxottica Media Relations

OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation Joins Forces with World Health Organization to Advance Global Vision Care Under WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative

OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation Joins Forces with World Health Organization to Advance Global Vision Care Under WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland (6 December 2024) – The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is proud to announce its collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global collaborating partner on the WHO’s SPECS 2030 initiative.The SPECS initiative builds on the world’s first-ever global target to increase effective refractive error coverage by 40% by 2030, which was endorsed by WHO Member States in 2021 at the World Health Assembly. This collaboration between WHO and the Foundation represents a significant step forward in addressing…

  • Medical Health Aged Care, Political
  • 06/12/2024
  • 16:24
Massage & Myotherapy Australia

ANZSCO’s response to Massage & Myotherapy Australia recommended reforms welcomed

Massage & Myotherapy Australia has welcomed reforms to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ OSCA (formerly ANZSCO) Occupation Standard Classification for Australia list for Massage Therapists 411613. Mrs Ann Davey CEO, said that the long overdue reforms to the old ANZSCO listing, now recognise the three distinct Australian massage occupations. This includes the new Unit Group of 4412 Massage Therapists and Myotherapists, with the three subcategories of 441231 Massage Therapist, 441232 Myotherapist, and 441233 Remedial Massage Therapist. Mrs Davey said, ‘We welcome these changes, because they represent the significant changes in professionalism, training and competency standards that have occurred over the…

  • Medical Health Aged Care, Seniors Interest
  • 06/12/2024
  • 12:04
Monash University

Monash Expert: National Dementia Action plan

The Australian Government has announced its National Dementia Action Plan 2024-2034. The announcement comes as Monash University leads a taskforce to update the Dementia Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care. Available to comment: Professor Velandai Srikanth, Director National Centre for Healthy Ageing at Monash University and Peninsula HealthContact: +61 408 474 964 or velandai.srikanth@monash.edu Read more of Professor Srikanth’s commentary at Monash Lens Dementia and brain ageing Healthy ageing The following can be attributed to Professor Srikanth: “Dementia is a condition that causes substantial disability and mortality among those affected and places immense pressure and stress on their care-partners.…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.