Portable Ultra-Low-Field MRI in Outpatient Neurology: An Examination of Clinical Performance and Patient Experience
In brief
Portable MRI agrees with standard scans in 98% of cases, patients prefer it
In a prospective study of 125 outpatients needing brain MRI, a 0.064-tesla portable scanner matched conventional 1.5-3 tesla scans in 92% of blinded reads, rising to 98% after clinical review. Patients rated the portable device as quieter, more comfortable and less claustrophobic, with 61% choosing it over traditional MRI, suggesting point-of-care imaging is both reliable and better tolerated.
- Journal
- Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging (Q1)
- Published
- 1 January 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Laszlo Mechtler, Sameer Ahmad Ansari, Jamal Derakhshan, Edmond Knopp, Nandor Pinter, Mohamad Asaad Nasri, et al.
- PMID
- 42627086
- DOI
- 10.1111/jon.70143
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Nuclear Medicine, Medical Physics and Imaging (top studies of the week, 11 October 2026): Portable ultra‑low‑field MRI performance and patient experience in outpatient neurology
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential component for outpatient neurological evaluation, though access to timely imaging at the point of care is not feasible for most outpatient neurology practices. Portable ultra-low-field MRI systems offer a potential solution, but studies describing their clinical performance in routine outpatient neurology practice remain limited. This study evaluated clinical concordance and patient experience of portable MRI (pMRI) compared to standard-of-care MRI (sMRI) in independent neurology practices. METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter study, adults presenting to outpatient neurology clinics and requiring clinically indicated brain MRI completed imaging with both pMRI (0.064 T) and sMRI (91% 3 T, 9% 1.5 T) in the neurology clinic. All examinations were independently reviewed by board-certified neuroradiologists in a blinded, randomized fashion without access to clinical history. The primary endpoint was patient-level concordance between modalities for the presence or absence of abnormal findings. Discordant cases underwent post hoc unblinded paired review with clinical history to assess clinical significance. Secondary endpoints included patient-reported experience, assessed using a structured questionnaire evaluating noise, comfort, claustrophobia, anxiety, and overall experience on 10-point Likert scales, as well as modality preference. RESULTS: Among 125 participants imaged for common outpatient indications, including headache (40%), cognitive impairment or dementia (16%), multiple sclerosis follow-up (16%), and tumor surveillance (16%), portable and sMRI demonstrated 92% concordance on blinded review. Following clinically informed post hoc review, concordance increased to 98%. pMRI was rated more favorably across all patient experience domains (p < 0.001), and participants preferred pMRI (61%) over sMRI (14%) by a 4:1 ratio. CONCLUSIONS: In outpatient neurology practices, pMRI images demonstrated high clinical concordance with sMRI for identifying the presence or absence of structural brain abnormalities and were strongly preferred by patients. These findings support the use of pMRI as a practical point-of-care imaging tool for neurology patients, enabling timely access to structural neuroimaging during the clinical encounter.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.