“Report: Continued Surge Seen for High Field MRI”, © Health Imaging News,
February 1, 2007
An estimated 26.6 million MRI procedures were
performed at 7,225 sites in 2006, according to
research organization IMV’s recent census of MRI
sites in the U.S. This jump is a 10 percent
increase from the 24.2 million in 2003. This makes
for an average annualized rate of 3 percent per
year, and compared to 2003, the procedures showing
the most growth are brain, spine, and vascular (MRAs),
IMV said.
“Technology developments that enhance clinical
applications will be critical to driving MRI
market demand. High field MRI systems with field
strengths of 1.5T (Telsa) or above are the most
favored configurations, with 1.5T units accounting
for 78 percent and very high field strength units
of >1.5T accounting for 12 percent of the MRI
units installed in 2006,” said Lorna Young, senior
director, Market Research at IMV. Young added that
though the Deficit Act Reduction Act 2005 cuts
went into effect last month, “hospital-based MRI
departments will most likely replace and expand
their clinical capabilities, while the independent
imaging centers may be delaying purchases, as they
evaluate the impact of the DRA on their
operations.”
IMV's 2006 MRI Market Summary Report
covers adoption trends of new procedures such as
echo planar imaging, MR spectroscopy,
cardiac-approved MRI, functional MRI, and
multi-channel MRI. For example:
 | Fifty-three percent of future fixed MRI
purchases are planned to be replacement of
existing units, 13 percent will be first time
buyers and 34 percent will be purchasing
additional systems; |
| Last year 84 percent of all MRI procedures
were performed on an outpatient basis as opposed
to 16 percent inpatient; |
| Of the MRI procedures performed in 2006, 45
percent used contrast media; and |
| IMV found that MRI systems are replaced
every 8.1 years. |
The report also looks at trends in procedure
utilization, the MRI installed base and purchase
plans, workstations, contrast media utilization
and budgets, power injectors, and site operations
characteristics, IMV said
