2024: continous upgrade information
This site is to keep users up to date with the 2024 system upgrade. We will publish general information here, but you can always contact us for specific questions and discussions.
Timetable
Preliminary time period for facility closure .
Contact us if you want time for scanning during the test period.
- Installation period: 29 July - 15 August - The installation started on schedule and was finished in a little under three weeks. This included work on the electric installations and all backups of previous scanner configurations.
- Handover of system: 16 August - The delivery was released for use and accepted by LBIC with a few comments that must be amended before the final system test is approved.
- Testing period: 17 August - 20 October 2024 - ongoing. So far about 40 volunteers are scanned, samples of the first images are shown below. The 8-channel transmit head coil was found to be defect, and is sent back for repairs. We will continue and finalize the testing we can do with the 2-channel transmit head coil.
- Start of research: 21 October (subject to change)
Contents of upgrade
As a user, you will mainly see the new options in the software. The software will be analogue to release R5.9 on Philips clinical MR scanners. In the technical room, the RF-cabinets will be replaced. The magnet itself, gradients and shimming are not affected. Important new functionalities are:
- Compressed SENSE acceleration (CSENSE)
- MultiBand acceleration factor >2
- Diffusion multishell
- EPIC distortion correction for EPI
- Recon 2.0 reconstruction engine
- SmartSpeed, AI denoising
- The physiology sensors will be wireless.
- There will only be one console, and there is no need for time consuming switching between MTX8 and Classic systems anymore. Patching will become a bit simpler.
Your project
For ongoing and upcoming projects, we will contact you to discuss how to translate your project to the new software. We can either make your sequences as close as possible to what you are running now, or we can optimize them with the new options, for example accelerate them with CSENSE and add distortion corrections.
IF you want to finish your data collection before the upgrade, please plan you examinations as soon as possible, 7t [dot] sus [at] skane [dot] se (7t[dot]sus[at]skane[dot]se) To make the planning easier for us: PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM: https://forms.gle/MmEJYSJDxkvRiWza9
Funding
The upgrade is made possible by generous funding from:
- The Crafoord foundation
- IngaBritt och Arne Lundbergs Forskningsstiftelse
- Region Skåne
- Lund University Central funding for infrastructure
Images
Questions? Contact us!
karin [dot] markenroth [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (karin[dot]markenroth[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)
+46-708-322504