Comparative analysis of image quality in routine cranial MRI scans:5.0T vs 3.0T
WANG Zhensong
LIU Jianxian
LI Zhangzhu
CHEN Peng
LIU Qinsong
LIU Hao
ZHAI Yi
YU Dan
CHENG Yu-meng
Gan Jie
Abstract：Objective To compare the image quality of routine cranial scan sequences between 5.0T MRI and 3.0T MRI.Methods Thirty-five healthy volunteers were recruited to undergo routine cranial imaging at both 5.0T and 3.0T,including T2WI,T1WI,T2-FLAIR and DWI sequences.Two radiologists independently analyzed the images using a double-blind method.Quantitative metrics included signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR).Subjective metrics included overall image quality,artifact presence,and gray/white matter delineation.Differences in image quality between field strengths were compared.Intraclass Correlation Coefficient(ICC)was used to assess consistency of quantitative metrics,while,Kappa consis-tency analysis evaluated subjective metric agreement.Results Quantitative analysis revealed that,for T2WI and T1WI se-quences,5.0T showed significantly higher SNR in the centrum semiovale frontal lobe gray/white matter,putamen,pons,and middle cerebellar peduncle compared to 3.0T MRI(P<0.01);For T2-FLAIR,3.0T MRI demonstrated superior SNR in the puta-men(P<0.01);5.0T MRI exhibited better gray/white matter CNR in T2WI and T2-FLAIR sequences(P<0.01),while,no sig-nificant difference in CNR was observed for T1WI(P>0.05).Qualitative analysis showed as follows:5.0T MRI outperformed 3.0T MRI in overall image quality across all sequences;5.0T MRI had fewer artifacts and superior gray/white matter delineation in DWI(P<0.05),with clearer gray/white matter boundaries in T2-FLAIR(P<0.01).Inter-rater agreement for both quantitative and qualitative assessments reached moderate or higher levels.Conclusion Compared to conventional 3.0T MRI,5.0T MRI demonstrates higher SNR and CNR(particularly in T2WI and T2-FLAIR sequences),superior overall image quality,and fewer artifacts in routine cranial scans.
Keywords：Magnetic resonance imagingImage qualityRoutineHealthy person
Publication Date：2025-08-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-28(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 10-15 )