Advances in clinical 3-tesla neuroimaging

Three-tesla magnetic resonance (MR) imaging represents one of the major forefronts of diagnostic neuroradiology today. Heat deposition, changes in T1 relaxation rates, susceptibility differences, and greater inherent sensitivity to motion artifacts represent challenges to clinical implementation. However, the situation appears remarkably similar to that encountered almost 15 years ago as the field of MR transitioned from 0.3-0.6 T to 1.5 T units. Current-generation 3 T MR units already provide markedly improved imaging of the brain as compared with 1.5 T units. This is illustrated in the article that follows, together with many of the advanced techniques now available and in the pipeline to deal with the difficulties inherent at 3 T.