One of the strongest MRI devices in the world – Siemens’ 7 Tesla was presented on Friday to journalists from Central and Eastern Europe at the Medical University in Vienna. The device, worth millions of euros, is intended exclusively for medical research and is a kind of Formula 1 in medicine.
The advanced scanner is designed solely for research, and its installation alone required the construction of an entirely new facility and investments amounting to 13 million euros. The 7 Tesla device in Vienna is one of only eight in Europe, and it will serve only for research for years to come.
The diagnostic capabilities and potentials of this device are still being explored, and its predecessor, the 3 Tesla, was used solely for research for five years before it found its way into clinical use. One of the reasons is that operating the 7 Tesla device, after a significant initial investment, also incurs costs of about one million euros annually, and carries risks that exceed the capabilities of most private clinics. Scientific prestige, of course, is one of the reasons why such projects are undertaken, but it is also important to keep in mind that radiological equipment is among the most expensive in medicine in general. (T.B.)
