Shields MRI - AOSM

Schedule an MRI.

NEW Open bore MRI

Shields MRI Portsmouth has a brand new 70 cm open bore MRI. Open 6 days a week, Monday - Saturday. 

This technology provides a whole new level of comfort with adaptable coil designs and acceleration techniques that minimize scan time and improve image quality.

Watch our virtual tour to see what patients will experience. 

What to Expect

Our open MRI is a 1.5T high-strength, which means that your doctor gets the quality image he needs and you get a comfortable experience designed to ease anxiety.

Plenty of headroom

Shields’ 70 cm opening is wider from top to bottom than a true open bore is. For a claustrophobic patient, this means the machine is farther away from their face.

faster scan time

1.5T open MRI are up to 4x faster than lower strength machines, reducing patient exam time, which really matters to a claustrophobic patient.

Most scans are done with the head outside the machine.

Particularly with orthopedic studies, most of the MRI scans can be done with the head outside of the scanner.

Christine Lindsey, Chief MRI Technologist at Shields MRI, talks about the comfort and quality of our open MRI machines.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re asked this question. A lot. Our answer is no – and with good reason.

-  The quality of the images is higher on our 1.5T open MRI machine.

-  The gold standard for MRI is 1.5T strength and those  open on three sides are a lower strength.

-  Our radiologists recommend the images from the 1.5T open-bore MRI machines for the best diagnosis

Our open machine can hold up to 550lbs.

At Shields, our 1.5T open bore MRI machine offer a wide 70 cm opening and a shorter bore length, giving a much more spacious and comfortable experience without compromising image quality. 

A traditional, closed MRI has a longer bore and has an opening that is about 45 cm. 

The strength of the MRI machine is measured in teslas - the higher the tesla, the better the image. Radiologists prefer very detailed images to make the most accurate diagnosis. 

1.5T or tesla is the gold standard in MRI today and anything lower than that - like a 1.2T or 1.0T - can compromise the quality of the image and impact diagnosis

What does 70 cm of headroom look like?

When it comes to comfort, headroom is key. Our open MRI machine offer the maximum amount of headroom, for any MRI machine out there, with 70 cm.

The patient experience

From the moment you walk in to a Shields center, we try to make you as comfortable as possible.

Industry News

ken-treloar-pFoA5Pphb-Q-unsplash_(1)

1.2T, 1.5T, 3T MRI  - What's the difference?

Schedule your MRI today.