Feasibility and tolerability of portable, low-field brain MRI for patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Low-field, portable MRI (LF-MRI) promises to expand neuroimaging access for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to measure the feasibility and tolerability of LF-MRI for clinical use in 50 people with MS (mean age 46.5 ± 15.3 years; 72 % female; median disease duration 5.9 years), 38 % of whom reported barriers to undergoing MRI, and 34 % of whom were low-income or unemployed. Experience ratings of LF-MRI were strongly positive (mean rating of 9.2 on a ten-point scale). Seventy percent of participants were willing to receive future LF-MRI scans, and 46 % preferred LF-MRI to standard MRI (35 % undecided). The overall feasibility and tolerability of LF-MRI support its integration into a one-stop, patient-centered model of outpatient MS care.

Keywords: Feasibility; Imaging access; Magnetic resonance imaging; Multiple sclerosis; Tolerability.