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The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed accounting of energy and materials consumed during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The first and second stages of ISO standard (ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006) were followed to develop life cycle inventory (LCI). The LCI data collection took the form of observations, time studies, real-time metered power consumption, review of imaging department scheduling records and review of technical manuals and literature.

The carbon footprint of the entire MRI service on a per-patient basis was measured at 22.4 kg CO₂eq. The in-hospital energy use (process energy) for performing MRI is 29 kWh per patient for the MRI machine, ancillary devices and light fixtures, while the out-of-hospital energy consumption is approximately 260 percent greater than the process energy, measured at 75 kWh per patient related to fuel for generation and transmission of electricity for the hospital, plus energy to manufacture disposable, consumable and reusable products. The actual MRI and standby energy that produces the MRI images is only about 38 percent of the total life cycle energy.

The focus on methods and proof-of-concept meant that only one facility and one type of imaging device technology were used to reach the conclusions. Based on the similar studies related to other imaging devices, the provided transparent data can be generalized to other healthcare facilities with few adjustments to utilization ratios, the share of the exam types, and the standby power of the facilities’ imaging devices.

The transparent detailed life cycle approach allows the data from this study to be used by healthcare administrators to explore the hidden public health impact of the radiology department and to set goals for carbon footprint reductions of healthcare organizations by focusing on alternative imaging modalities. Moreover, the presented approach in quantifying healthcare services’ environmental impact can be replicated to provide measurable data on departmental quality improvement initiatives and to be used in hospitals’ quality management systems.

No other research has been published on the life cycle assessment of MRI. The share of outside hospital indirect environmental impact of MRI services is a previously undocumented impact of the physician’s order for an internal image.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between hospital adoption and use of computed tomography (CT) scanners, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and in-patient mortality and length of stay.

This study used panel data (2007–2010) from 124 hospital corporations operating in Ontario, Canada. Imaging use focused on medical patients accounting for 25 percent of hospital discharges. Main outcomes were in-hospital mortality rates and average length of stay. A model for each outcome-technology combination was built, and controlled for hospital structural characteristics, market factors and patient characteristics.

In 2010, 36 and 59 percent of hospitals had adopted MRI machines and CT scanners, respectively. Approximately 23.5 percent of patients received CT scans and 3.5 percent received MRI scans during the study period. Adoption of these technologies was associated with reductions of up to 1.1 percent in mortality rates and up to 4.5 percent in length of stay. The imaging use–mortality relationship was non-linear and varied by technology penetration within hospitals. For CT, imaging use reduced mortality until use reached 19 percent in hospitals with one scanner and 28 percent in hospitals with 2+ scanners. For MRI, imaging use was largely associated with decreased mortality. The use of CT scanners also increased length of stay linearly regardless of technology penetration (4.6 percent for every 10 percent increase in use). Adoption and use of MRI was not associated with length of stay.

These results suggest that there may be some unnecessary use of imaging, particularly in small hospitals where imaging is contracted out. In larger hospitals, the results highlight the need to further investigate the use of imaging beyond certain thresholds. Independent of the rate of imaging use, the results also indicate that the presence of CT and MRI devices within a hospital benefits quality and efficiency.

To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the combined effect of adoption and use of medical imaging on outcomes specific to CT scanners and MRI machines in the context of hospital in-patient care.

This paper seeks to provide evidence that the long‐term success of capital‐intensive technology products requires continuous integration of innovations in the form of new features and capabilities that meet broad user preferences.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research centers, which represent lead users in this industry, are used as a case study. An online survey was developed to identify and rank the main factors behind brand switching, then secondary sources are used to confirm the research results.

A multi‐faceted approach to data collection is used to show that product innovations in the form of specific features are the main motive for switching to a new technology, consistent with the expectation that lead users seek technologies that maintain leading‐edge positions.

There are limitations to generalizing from this case study to other industries. The findings can be generalized to industries with similar characteristics, such as aircraft and heavy machinery manufacturing. In practice, managers should find a reliable strategy to assess factors underpinning brand switching that is unique to their industry. Determining the main factors behind switching is a critical matter when defining the appropriate strategy to keep their market share from eroding.

The literature reports considerable research that investigates brand switching. However, most of it focuses on highly competitive markets for consumer goods. This paper addresses a paucity of knowledge about what influences lead users of capital‐intensive products to switch between brands.

This paper aims to better understand a firm’s market research function’s (MRF) roles and influences on the different uses of market research information (MRI) (instrumental, conceptual and symbolic) in the firm.

This study uses a mixed-methods design: In a qualitative study among marketing managers (n = 9) and market researchers (n = 10); different roles of a firm’s MRF are scrutinized. The quantitative study among corporate users of MRI (n = 235) tests a conceptual model on the MRF-related determinants of MRI uses, using structural equation modeling.

When the MRF exhibits methodological, market and business expertise and interacts with market research users, these features indirectly influence instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic uses, through MRI quality perceived by the users. The users’ knowledge of market research methods, the function’s integrity, top management support, and decentralized decision-making have various beneficial influences on the three uses of MRI.

Broadly speaking, this research expands the theoretical understanding of marketing-related organizational learning processes. It considers message, source, recipient, and context variables to explain changes in attitude and behavior, related to MRI uses.

Overall, corporations should use MRI more thoroughly. Treating the MRF as a strategic asset rather than just another internal service provider increases its value to the firm. Firms should thus bolster the MRF’s different roles, namely, internal colleague, service provider, customer representative, quality assurance, and knowledge broker.

This paper is the first to comprehensively analyze the MRF’s role in MRI generation and various uses. It identifies three expertise dimensions of the MRF to fully leverage the MRF’s value to the organization and empirically underscores theoretical writings on the MRF’s roles in the firm.

Many international radiology societies, including American College of Radiologists (ACR), have established guidelines for optimum forms and contents of medical imaging reports to ensure high quality and to guarantee the satisfaction of both the referring physician and the patient. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the criteria of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reports in Jordan according to the standards of the ACR.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in early January 2021 for two weeks. An invitation letter was sent to 85 MRI centers of various health-care sectors in Jordan to participate in the study. Each invitee was requested to send at least ten different MRI reports. The study used a questionnaire containing the checklist of the latest edition 2020 of ACR’s practice parameter to communicate the diagnostic imaging results and the demographic information of the participating MRI centers. Seven basic elements were assessed for content-related quality of MRI reports, which are administrative data, patient demographics, clinical history, imaging procedures, clinical symptoms, imaging observations and impressions. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the data.

Forty-one MRI centers participated in the study with 386 different MRI exam reports. The majority (92%) of the reports were computer-generated. Free texted unstructured reports and head-structured reports had an almost equal percentage of around 40%. Exam and radiologist demography as well as exam findings criteria were 100% available in all reports. The percentage of exam conclusion, and exam description and techniques were 2% and 4.9%, respectively (N = 368). There was a positive association between computer-generated reports and the presence of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS)/health information systems r = 0.443.

Structured and free text unstructured reporting were the common types of MRI exam reports in Jordan. Handwriting exam reporting existed in few MRI centers, particularly in those that had no PACS and radiology information systems.

This chapter presents a sociological analysis of the work involved in producing neuroimaging scans used in clinical practice. Drawing on fieldwork in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units in hospitals and free-standing imaging centers; in-depth interviews with technologists, radiologists, and neurologists; and reviews of relevant medical literatures, this analysis demonstrates how assembly line techniques structure neuroimaging work. Neuroimages (after being ordered by the referring clinician) are created in an image production line where scans of brains, breasts, livers, and other body parts are all produced: although some facilities may focus on one area of the body, most create an array of scans. Following MRI scans as they are produced demonstrates how medical work emphasizes repetition, specialization, and efficiency – key features of mass production. On the medical assembly line, the organization of work aims to transform patients into objects – ones that multiply as scans are created and circulated. Neurologists, radiologists, and technologists are positioned as skilled workers who manage the flow of bodies and the production of knowledge with the aim of producing health or, at the very least, knowledge of illness. Patients are also actors who actively impact the imaging production process. Previous scholarship has shown that diagnostic work involves a distributed form of expertise; one that involves patients, other medical professionals, machines, and neurologists. This chapter demonstrates that the deployment and synchronization of this expertise is a form of labor, involving distinct professions, professional hierarchies, and reimbursement systems. Working conditions are central to the production of MRI scans as knowledge and contribute to the social shaping of neuroimaging techniques.

The purpose of this study is to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-safe iron-free electrical actuator for MR-guided surgical interventions.

The paper deals with the design of an MRI compatible electrical actuator. Three-dimensional electromagnetic and thermal analytical models have been developed to design the actuator. These models have been validated through 3D finite element (FE) computations. The analytical models have been inserted in an optimization procedure that uses genetic algorithms to find the optimal parameters of the actuator.

The analytical models are very fast and precise compared to the FE models. The computation time is 0.1 s for the electromagnetic analytical model and 3 min for the FE one. The optimized actuator does not perturb imaging sequence even if supplied with a current 10 times higher than its rated one. Indeed, the actuator’s magnetic field generated in the imaging area does not exceed 1 ppm of the B₀ field generated by the MRI scanner. The actuator can perform up to 25 biopsy cycles without any risk to the actuator or the patient since he maximum temperature rise of the actuator is about 20°C. The actuator is compact and lightweight compared to its pneumatic counterpart.

The MRI compatible actuator uses the B₀ field generated by scanner as inductor. The design procedure uses magneto-thermal coupled models that can be adapted to the design of a variety actuation systems working in MRI environment.

Trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS) is increasingly employed in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) management. Objective outcomes are generally assessed through polysomnography. Pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be a useful adjunct in objective upper airway assessment, in particular the tongue base, providing useful information for surgical planning and outcome assessment, though care must be taken in patient positioning during surgery. The purpose of this paper is to identify pitfalls in this process and suggest a protocol for pre-operative MRI scanning in OSA.

This study is a four-patient prospective case-series and literature review. Outcome measures include pre- and post-operative volumetric changes in the pharynx as measured on MRI and apnoea–hypopnea indices (AHI), with cure being OSA resolution or a 50 per cent reduction in AHI.

All patients achieved AHI reduction and/or OSA cure following TORS, despite a decrease in pharyngeal volume measurements at the tongue base level. This study and others lacked standardisation in the MRI scanning protocol, which resulted in an inability to effectively compare pre- and post-operative scans. Pitfalls were related to variation in head/tongue position, soft-tissue marker usage and assessed area boundary limits.

TORS appears to be effective in OSA management. A new protocol for patient positioning and anatomical landmarks is suggested.

The findings could provide directly comparable data between scans and may allow correlation between tongue base volumetric changes and AHI through subsequent and historical study meta-analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between product innovativeness and the process of technology switching. This issue is important for two reasons: (1) in mature markets, the only way to increase market share is through consumers' switching from competitor firms and (2) it is essential to determine whether the product innovation strategy can meet users' needs in high-technology markets.

Research centers (university hospitals) specializing in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the lead users of the MRI market. In this market, the technology switching process was tracked using an annual conference database. Interviews with industry experts and lead users were conducted in order to determine the relationship between product innovativeness and technology switching.

The findings reveal that in the lead users' segment, technology switching is occurring at a significant level. The interviews emphasized the influence of product innovativeness on technology switching in the global MRI market, as well as the importance of adopting an open innovation process as a strategy to enhance product innovativeness.

The results can be generalized to industries with similar characteristics, such as high rates of technological change and technology heterogeneity. In high-technology markets, managers should monitor switching behavior. They should also study the influence of product innovativeness on such behavior in order to determine the correct product innovation strategy and meet users' preferences effectively.

The literature reports considerable research that investigates switching behavior, but most publications use data from a short time period and cover a limited geographical region. This is the first study that uses data to track the switching behavior of high-technology products on a global scale over a 22-year period.

The breast is composed of two main types of soft tissues: glandular tissue and adipose tissue. Wearing a brassiere makes them deform easily. In order to design comfortable brassieres by which the body shape is adjusted, it is important to clarify the relationship between the breast deformation and the internal structure of the breast. The purpose of this paper is to assess a method to determine the structure inside the breast. Breast shape comparison was performed to assess the relationship between the external deformation caused by wearing a brassiere and the internal structure of the breast.

The subjects were five adult females. The breast MRI imaging in the sitting position was carried out using the vertical MRI systems under bare breasts condition and under wearing a brassiere condition. By creating 3D images from the MRI images obtained, the internal structure of the breast was determined. The 3D images under the wearing brassiere conditions were superimposed on the images under the bare breasts condition, and the breast shape comparison was performed to assess the relationship between the external deformation caused by wearing a brassiere and the internal structure of the breast.

The internal 3D structure of the breast, which had been unmeasurable in the sitting position, could be obtained using the vertical MRI system. Additionally the effect of wearing a brassiere on the breast was assessed in terms of the relation between the external deformation and the internal structure of the breast.

This paper's results can be utilized for human body model in simulation, and to provide fruitful data for the design of comfortable brassieres.