FY25 Award Round
The Centre for Advanced Imaging’s 7 Tesla Whole Body MRI system, being the first in Australia and Flagship instrument of the National Imaging Facility. The system weighs 38 tonnes and uses the latest Magnetom platform, engineered by Siemen’s.
The majority of current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners operate at 3 Tesla (3T) which offers significantly improved resolution of soft tissue structures compared to the previous iteration of 1.5T machines. In anatomically critical regions such as the skull base where vital structures are intimately related there remains a clinical need for images of higher resolution. There is a significant opportunity to augment current imaging technology using 7T MRI technology. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Skull Base Unit and the University of Queensland, Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) have a unique collaboration opportunity with the co-location of the 7T scanner in Brisbane, one of only two in Australia, at CAI as well as their common goal to improve imaging of the Head and Neck through the development of superior imaging protocols to guide management of commonly seen difficult scenarios in Head and Neck Surgery. This research collaboration will impact on clinical decision making and outcomes of this cohort of patients through the improvement of imaging protocols which will improve treatment precision and drive change in clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.