Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Radiol. Jan 28, 2024; 16(1): 20-31
Published online Jan 28, 2024. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v16.i1.20
From strength to precision: A systematic review exploring the clinical utility of 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in abdominal imaging
Arosh S Perera Molligoda Arachchige, Ana Claudia Teixeira de Castro Gonçalves Ortega, Federica Catapano, Letterio S Politi, Michael N Hoff
Arosh S Perera Molligoda Arachchige, Ana Claudia Teixeira de Castro Gonçalves Ortega, Faculty of Medicine, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele 20072, Milan, Italy
Federica Catapano, Letterio S Politi, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele 20072, Milan, Italy
Federica Catapano, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano 20089, Milan, Italy
Letterio S Politi, Department of Neuroradiology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano 20089, Milan, Italy
Michael N Hoff, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work; Perera Molligoda Arachchige AS designed the research study; Perera Molligoda Arachchige AS and Teixeira de Castro Gonçalves Ortega AC performed the research; Catapano F and Politi LS revised the final draft; All authors analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Hoff MN supervised the study, revised the final draft; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Michael N Hoff, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, California CA 94143, United States. michael.hoff2@ucsf.edu
Received: October 16, 2023
Peer-review started: October 16, 2023
First decision: November 9, 2023
Revised: December 6, 2023
Accepted: December 25, 2023
Article in press: December 25, 2023
Published online: January 28, 2024
Processing time: 98 Days and 15.7 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Clinical 7-Tesla HASTE was approved for clinical use in 2017. Since then, it has been used widely in specialized research centers mainly for neuroimaging studies. However, it has been also used in the imaging of abdominal organs even though the studies are few.

Research motivation

To summarize all the current evidence concerning the utilization of 7-Tesla MRI in clinical abdominal imaging since to our knowledge there has been no review paper discussing this before.

Research objectives

To offer a comprehensive overview of current literature on clinical abdominal 7T MRI that emphasizes current trends, to summarize the current imaging sequences/parameters used, to describe relevant challenges, and to provide a concise set of potential solutions.

Research methods

This systematic review adheres to PRISMA guidelines. A PubMed search, utilizing Medical Subject Headings terms such as "7-Tesla" and organ-specific terms, was conducted for articles published between January 1, 1985, and July 25, 2023. Eligibility criteria included studies exploring 7T MRI for imaging human abdominal organs, encompassing various study types (in-vivo/ex-vivo, method development, reviews/meta-analyses). Exclusion criteria involved animal studies and those lacking extractable data. Study selection involved initial identification via title/abstract, followed by a full-text review by two researchers, with discrepancies resolved through discussion. Data extraction covered publication details, study design, population, sample size, 7T MRI protocol, image characteristics, endpoints, and conclusions.

Research results

The systematic review encompassed a total of 21 studies. Analysis of the distribution of clinical 7T abdominal imaging studies indicated a predominant emphasis on the prostate (n = 8), followed by the kidney (n = 6), and the hepatobiliary system (n = 5). Research on these organs, as well as the pancreas, demonstrated evident advantages at 7T. Conversely, studies on the small bowel did not reveal significant enhancements compared to traditional MRI at 1.5T. The majority of the evaluated studies originated from Germany (n = 10), followed by the Netherlands (n = 5), the United States (n = 5), Austria (n = 2), the United Kingdom (n = 1), and Italy (n = 1).

Research conclusions

7T MRI showcases remarkable imaging potential, however, the limitations arising from inhomogeneous excitation fields underscore the need for ongoing efforts in optimizing dedicated RF coil and pulse design. Continued research and technological advancements are imperative to fully harness the advantages of high magnetic field strengths while addressing the challenges associated with advancements in MRI technology.

Research perspectives

More studies are necessary to elucidate the full potential of 7-Tesla MRI in abdominal imaging especially when it comes to the imaging of the pancreas, and the intestines which had very few investigative studies.