MR imaging of claustrophobic patients in an open 1.0 T scanner: Motion artifacts and patient acceptability compared with closed bore magnets

ObjectiveTo evaluate motion artifacts and patient acceptability of MR imaging of claustrophobic patients in an open 1.0 T scanner.Subjects and methodsThirty six claustrophobic patients were enrolled prospectively, 34 of which had previous MR examinations in closed bore magnets. Anxiety and pain during MR examination in an open 1.0 T scanner were evaluated by visual analogue scales and various tests. Influence of motion artifacts on image quality was evaluated by two radiologists independently using a five-point scale. Additionally, 36 non-claustrophobic patients delivered a reference value of a non-claustrophobic population for the visual analogue anxiety scale.ResultsTermination rate of MR imaging of highly claustrophobic patients decreased from 58.3% (n = 21) in closed bore magnets to 8.3% (n = 3) in the open scanner (p ≤ 0.001). Anxiety during MR examination was reduced from 87.1 ± 16.7 (closed magnets) to 30.4 ± 30.8 (open magnet) (p ≤ 0.001) on visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 100. Influence of motion artifacts on image quality was very little (inter-rater reliability r = 0.74; p < 0.01).ConclusionsMR imaging using an open 1.0 T scanner yielded a significantly decreased anxiety and subsequently an improved acceptability in claustrophobic patients compared with closed bore magnets. Motion artifacts did not influence image quality.