Lightweight Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Hyperacute Stroke Care in the Prehospital Setting

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Prehospital stroke care is a rapidly growing field to improve stroke outcomes. Methods to assess patients in the prehospital setting include clinical scales and portable neuroimaging that are usually restricted to mobile stroke unit computed tomography scanners, which are not widely available. Lightweight low-field magnetic resonance imaging devices at the <0.1T range offer an opportunity for portable lightweight imaging for the prehospital setting, with the advantage of greater tissue assessment to diagnose stroke. This review focuses on the current landscape and future direction for low-field magnetic resonance imaging in the prehospital setting, with a discussion of current and upcoming devices, and potential barriers to ambulance integration and how these may be overcome. Low-field magnetic resonance imaging provides an exciting opportunity for portable and safe imaging for the prehospital setting for the early diagnosis of stroke and the initiation of triage and treatment. These devices have the potential to be much more widely available and accessible than the current prehospital assessment model of mobile stroke units and provide additional detail for treatment decisions compared with non-imaging-supported telehealth prehospital assessments.