Utility of advanced brain MRI techniques for clinical and research purposes in a low-resource setting: A multicentre survey

Abstract

Rationale and objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of advanced brain MRI techniques for clinical and research purposes in a low-resource setting. Materials and methods A national survey was conducted across healthcare facilities nationwide in Ghana. The survey included questions relating to facility demographic information, MRI scanner work functions, and utility of MRI for clinical and research purposes. Results Most MRI scanners were private-owned, with General Electric being the dominating scanner brand, and a high prevalence of 1.5 T MRI scanners. Most facilities have 1 – 4 radiologists and radiographers, and brain MRI prices were higher in private facilities compared to the public facilities. Most (84.6 %) facilities indicated the availability of PACS; however, none indicated the integration of artificial intelligence into their clinical workflow. Average weekly availability of MRI services was 7 days in most facilities (53.8 %). Most (69.2 %) facilities provide a 24-hour window to offer brain MRI services. A total of 1 – 4 brain MRI cases were performed daily. Only 4 (30.8 %) facilities indicated the availability of brain MRI protocol for research purposes. For clinical purposes, most facilities indicated their acquisition of 3D-T1-weighted (11 facilities), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (7 facilities), and perfusion imaging (7 facilities). Conversely, fMRI (3 facilities), 1H-MRS (2 facilities), and DTI (1 facility) were in use for research purposes. Approximately 85 % of respondents indicated that they 'rarely' or 'never' utilize the scanners for research purposes. Conclusion The wide variation in the utility of MRI for clinical and research purposes highlights some opportunities for enhanced accessibility and potential recruitment of study participants, including challenges related to standardization in a potential multicentre brain MRI research