One of only a few in the nation, Siemens Healthineers 7-Tesla MRI is a key diagnostic tool for researchers and clinicians

University of Missouri Health Care is using the most powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in the state to individualize treatment for patients with epilepsy.

The 25-ton Siemens Healthineers MAGNETOM Terra 7-Tesla (7T) MRI was installed at the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building in 2021. MU Health Care is the only health system in the state and one of only a few in the nation with this 7T MRI technology.

The 7T offers more than twice the magnetic fields strength of a conventional 3T scanner. That additional power produces clearer pictures of brain structures and shows smaller structures in the brain that were previously unable to be seen in other MRIs.

The level of detail is particularly impactful in research involving brain diseases. This scanner provides advanced diagnostic imaging for epileptologists like Dr. Komal Ashraf, to help identify epilepsy type and recommend treatment.

“We have incredible tools at MU Health Care that many other places don't have,” Ashraf said. “The detail, spatial resolution and contrast available to help with diagnosis on a 7T MRI is like the difference in a smartphone camera from 10 years ago to a new phone. It’s a game-changer.”

Ashraf’s patient Becky Gooch had experienced seizures for more than eight years without a plan to become seizure-free until coming to MU Health Care’s epilepsy center.

Becky’s doctors suspected her epilepsy was caused by scars in the temporal lobe of her brain, which can cause focal seizures. Surgery can prevent those seizures if doctors can pinpoint the scarred area.

Because Becky’s scars were small and covered by healthy brain matter, they didn’t show up on less powerful MRI scans. Thanks to the work of radiologist and 7T MRI physics researcher Dr. Jullie Pan, Becky’s care team at MU Health Care saw scarring in her right temporal lobe.

“The sensitivity of a 7T MRI shows us not just the structure of the brain, but also blood flow and connectivity of electrical signals,” Pan said. “That means we can understand the brain, and its defects, in ways MRI didn’t show us before.”

After further testing showed surgery would not affect Becky’s memory or speech, Ashraf referred Becky to neurosurgeons Dr. Andrew Youkilis and Dr. Bornali Kundu.

“It was a relief to finally have an answer, because I’d had I don’t know how many MRIs, lots of testing,” Becky said. “The doctors at MU Health Care told me, ‘We want to help you get your life back, and we think this surgery is going to do that."

After a successful surgery in November of 2023, Becky hasn’t had a seizure since. She is working with Ashraf to step down from her seizure medications and has gone from seven medications to three.

“It's really changed my life, it really has,” Becky said. “I don’t have to worry about the side effects of medication anymore. I have my freedom now. I don’t have to be afraid.”

Dr. Komal Ashraf, DO, is a neurologist at MU Health Care and an assistant professor of clinical neurology at the MU School of Medicine. She graduated from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan and completed fellowship in epilepsy at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Jullie Pan, MD, PhD, is the director of high-field magnetic resonance imaging at the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building. She is also a professor of radiology at the MU School of Medicine. Dr. Pan targets her research on making ultra high-field imaging more informative and of higher quality. A primary outcome for this research is to provide better prognostication for patients undergoing treatments for conditions such as brain tumors, mild traumatic brain injuries and epilepsy.

Dr. Bornali Kundu, MD, is a neurosurgeon at MU Health Care and an assistant professor at the MU School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Utah and completed fellowship in functional neurosurgery at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.

Dr. Andrew Youkilis, MD, is a neurosurgeon at MU Heath Care and an associate professor of clinical neurosurgery at the MU School of Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Michigan.

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Contact: Eric Maze, mazee@health.missouri.edu, (573) 884-3656