Redefining Open

A New Definition of Comfort and Clarity – The MAGNETOM Espree MRI Scanner

We’re Redefining Open MRI at our St. Cloud-Northwest imaging center with our new Espree MRI scanner. The Espree MRI gives patients the best of both worlds in terms of high-image quality to guide diagnosis and a scanner design that maximizes comfort.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI or MR) is one of the safest, most comfortable imaging techniques available. It combines a powerful magnet with an advanced computer system and radio waves to produce accurate, detailed pictures of organs and tissues to diagnose a variety of medical conditions.

Comfort From Every Angle

MAGNETOM Espree MRI

Friendly for Everyone – The extra large-open bore is flared to give patients a wide-open view. No matter the age or size of a patient, even patients with mobility problems, there is comfort in the design of the scanner. A parent can hold a child’s hand throughout the exam, and the scanner table lowers to 18-inches from the ground to ensure an easy start and finish to the exam.

Feet First and Head Out – For the majority of exams, including lumbar spine scans, your feet go in first and your head remains outside the slim scanner, which has approximately 3-feet deep from flare to flare.

If you are 5-feet 2-inches or taller, more than 60% of exams can be performed with your head out of the scanner.

More Headroom and Elbowroom – When a head-first exam is necessary, comfort remains the priority. You will have an open view and generous headroom with at least 12-inches of space above your nose, that’s compared to 5-7-inches of extra space in an open-sided scanner. There’s also more elbowroom—the spacious 27.5-inch diameter of the scanner is especially designed for a more comfortable shoulder, chest or upper abdomen scan.

Confidence You Deserve

As a high-field, 1.5T scanner, the Espree MRI guarantees clear and detailed images and shorter exams when compared to a traditional, low-field Open-sided scanner—so you can be confident of an accurate diagnosis and comfortable throughout the exam.

Why does MRI “field strength” matter?
Because you can’t diagnose what you can’t see. Field strength is the power of the scanner’s magnet—the higher the field strength, the better the image quality. High-field MRIs, like the 1.5T (tesla) that has become an industry standard, also provide more information more quickly.

At our CDI centers in Central Minnesota, we only have 1.5T short MRI scanners. Low-field MRI scanners, which are usually “open” systems, provide less detail in the images and usually mean longer exam times for patients. See our MRI scanner field strength comparison chart.