Development of in-vehicle MRI for baseball elbow diagnosis
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan, and during the high school baseball season, the news reports daily on the wins, losses, and notable players. Although there is a large population of baseball players, not a few elementary and junior high school students are closed off from the sport due to "baseball elbow.
Baseball elbow is a sports disorder that occurs during the growth period due to overuse, etc. If it is detected early, it can be treated by rest and improvement of pitching form. Recent studies conducted on elementary school children have shown that MRI is effective in diagnosing early symptoms before subjective symptoms develop. However, with conventional stationary MRI, subjects must travel to a facility where they can be diagnosed. Therefore, we have developed a portable MRI system for baseball elbow diagnosis in order to screen a wide range of subjects at various locations such as baseball stadiums and sports arenas.
The system consists of a 0.2 T permanent magnet weighing 200 kg and an 80 kg console, both of which can be moved by a hand lift and attached casters. In this study, the system was mounted in a vehicle and powered externally for imaging. This is the first time in the world that a self-made MRI system has been installed in an ordinary car. The left and right elbows of nine patients were imaged at two locations, one indoors and the other in the car, and two specialists evaluated the images.
担当：田辺 亮勝、中込 真優、梶原 成生
文責：中込 真優（2018年4月16日）
公開講座での発表の様子
超小型MRIを用いたどこでも出張スポーツ検診 岡本嘉一