RTI FullScan

2024: Rosatom revealed the characteristics of the first serial MRI scan in Russia

In early February 2024, the company "Rusatom Healthcare," part of the state corporation "Rosatom," revealed the characteristics of the first serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in Russia. The device is claimed to meet cutting-edge global standards and fully meet the needs of doctors and patients.

According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the domestic MRI scanner will have a tunnel diameter of 76 cm - this is 16 cm more than most foreign counterparts. The length of the platform will be 150 cm. The device is designed for patients weighing up to 250 kg: thanks to this, with the help of a tomograph, it will be possible to examine people of any build. The device will be able to slice 0.6 mm with a digital matrix size K of 1024 × 1024 pixels. The magnetic field strength is 1.5 T.

source = Rosatom

The peculiarity of the scanner lies in the type of cooling system: a conductive small-helium non-stick magnet. It needs to be filled with helium once every 5 years. For comparison: ordinary tomographs from foreign manufacturers require refueling three times a year or more. Rusatom Healthcare plans to ensure full technological independence in the production, operation and service throughout the product life cycle.

Low-voltage cryogenic systems that do not require refueling with helium will ensure continuity of operation and reduce cost of ownership. The wide aperture of the magnetic system tunnel will allow more patients to receive high-quality medical care, the developer says.

The implementation of the project, as noted, was Rosatom's response to the growing need of Russian healthcare for domestic equipment for providing high-tech medical care to patients. At the same time, MRI diagnostics are included in the list of recommended examination methods for more than 30 types of diseases, including for pregnant women and children. Serial production of the scanner "Rusatom Healthcare" plans to begin in 2026.^[1]

2022: Estimate of the Russian MRI scanner project at 4.5 billion rubles

As it became known in March 2022, Russian scientists are creating new prototypes of magnetic resonance tomographs for high-precision medical diagnostics based on a unique domestic development. They have high competitive potential, and their production can solve the problem of import substitution in the field of MRI. This was reported by the doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, head of the cryogenic department of the Physics Institute. P.N. Lebedev (FIAN) RAS Evgeny Demikhov.

Highly economical gel-free MRI is a revolutionary technology, according to E.I. Demikhov. The new tomograph is 30% cheaper than conventional ones, which require the use of an expensive gel. The first high-voltage superconducting MRI in Russia with a field of 1.5 T has also been developed, which allows diagnosing the smallest pathologies.

RTI FullScan MRI Scanner

Speaking about the advantages of Russian MRI, Evgeny Demikhov notes that the new tomographs have their own software that allows you to change the configuration and magnitude of the magnetic field depending on the tasks. 70% of components of new tomographs are of Russian origin. Also, scientists are ready to start producing the missing MRI components.

According to Demikhov, the production of new tomographs will take 5 years and will require financial costs of 4.5 billion rubles. It is planned to produce 100 tomographs annually.

For mass production, he proposed to use his own line of the institute, which can be scaled depending on the volume of production. He admitted that there are no specialists who will be able to work in production by mid-March 2022 and university graduates will have to be "retrained."

The initial version of the Russian MRI scanner, developed by the FIAN under the RTI FullScan brand, included foreign components: coils and an amplifier from the United States, as well as the standard cryogenic system of the manufacturer from Japan.^[2]

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