7T MRI scanner user training

On August 1-3, Siemens provided a 3 day hands-on training for the general users of the 7T Terra system. Led by Dr. Ioannis Giapitzakis and Mr. Jongmoon Hahm, the educational sessions held in the N Center were well attended and helpful. The training consisted of a couple of lectures on high-field MR safety and principles, and demonstrations and practices on the center's new 7T scanner with plenty of user-instructor interactions. The system is currently not approved (by the Korean government) for routine patient scans, nor is yet cleared for research use on human subjects by the SKKU's institutional review board. So this time, the training included scans only on phantoms. What was particularly useful was detailed explanation/demo on general features of the scanner's user interface, which in large part are common between the 3T and the 7T scanners in the Center. This gave a chance to clear/resolve some of the doubts about scanner operation that many people have had before. The training sessions will continue when human scans are approved for either research or clinical use. For now animal and phantom scans can proceed without much delay. It does appear that the 7T system is well constructed for basic-level scans as a commercial product. It is noted that features and functions from the 3T scanner are relatively seamlessly transferred to the 7T system, to the benefit of both the users and the manufacturer.