Modification of pulse sequences reduces occupational exposure from MRI switched gradient fields: Preliminary results.

The gradient fields in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will in some circumstances exceed the ICNIRP guidelines of occupational electromagnetic field exposure when personnel are near the scanner during MRI scanning. In this work we have shown that using commercially available modified sequences for noise reduction purposes, exposure will decrease by a factor of 1.5 with preserved image quality. This is a first step toward optimizing occupational exposure within the scanner room without affecting image quality. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.