A high-performance open magnetic resonance imaging system began operation this week at McFarland Clinic PC’s West Ames location, bringing benefits for both patients and doctors.

The new machine uses an open-air gantry design, which provides more comfort to patients than the traditional MRI, said Kris Terrell, CT/MRI supervisor at McFarland Clinic PC, 3600 W. Lincoln Way.

“The new system is very quiet and more friendly to the patient,” she said. “A relative can sit right beside them during the test.”

Physicians also benefit from the open MRI because of “patient compliance,” Terrell said. “We can get patients to actually do the scan.”

The traditional, high-field MRI machine is louder and more confining, she said. Patients often experience claustrophobia since the old machine is 6 feet long and surrounds the whole body.

Magnetic resonance imaging is used by physicians to look inside the human body and obtain anatomical and functional diagnostic information without the use of x-ray radiation.

“The open MRI system is new to central Iowa,” said Angela Cherryholmes, public relations assistant for McFarland Clinic PC.

They have been around across the country, and more and more are being produced, Terrell said, but the majority are traditional, high-field machines.

Although there is one in Des Moines, the new system is the first of its kind in Ames, Cherryholmes said. There is a traditional MRI located at McFarland’s main clinic.

An MRI scan uses magnetic and radiofrequency waves to produce images, Terrell said.

“The higher the strength of the magnets, the more compact the machine has to be,” she said. “[The new machine] has a lower strength because it is open.”

A traditional MRI scan takes about 35 to 45 minutes to complete, whereas a scan on the open-air system takes close to an hour, Terrell said.

MRI is used for all parts of the body and to evaluate a number of conditions, such as musculoskeletal disorders, traumatic injuries and tumor detection. Images can be taken of any extremity such as knees, shoulders and ankles and also of the brain and spine, Terrell said.