Aspect Imaging (Toronto, Canada) received FDA clearance for the company’s M2 compact MRI, a system intended for diagnostic imaging of the wrist. Aspect Imaging is a company that produces compact MRIs mainly for pre-clinical and industrial applications and this is their first venture into the clinical area. Unlike conventional high-field MRI systems, the M2 does not require a shielded room, cryogens or high-capacity electrical power. It features a self-shielded, permanent 1 Tesla magnet that can be placed in most settings without the need for special infrastructure.
Patients can sit in a chair next to the scanner while their hand is placed in a glove and then in the appropriate wrist coil, and the system is designed to be as quiet as possible for all-around comfort. A further advantage of the M2 is that it comes at a fraction of the cost of existing clinical MRI systems. Aspect Imaging expects to begin commercialization of the scanner this summer and plans to run clinical studies at multiple sites.
Press release: Aspect Imaging Announces FDA Clearance of M2 Compact MRI System for Clinical Imaging of the Wrist…
Product page: Wrist MRI System…