Developed by GE Lunar; the ARTOSCAN™-M is designed specifically for in-office musculoskeletal imaging. ARTOSCAN-M's compact, modular design allows placing within a clinical environment, bringing MRI to the patient. Patients remain outside the magnet at all times during the examinations, enabling constant patient-technologist contact. ARTOSCAN-M requires no special RF room, magnetic shielding, special power supply or air conditioning.
The C-SCAN™ (also known as Artoscan C) is developed from the ARTOSCAN™ - M, with a new computer platform.

From Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc.;
the AIRIS made its debut in 1995. Hitachi followed up with the AIRIS II system, which has proven equally successfully. 'All told, Hitachi has installed more than 1,000 MRI systems in the U.S., holding more than 17 percent of the total U.S. MRI installed base, and more than half of the installed base of open MR systems,' says Antonio Garcia, Frost and Sullivan industry research analyst. Now Altaire employs a blend of innovative Hitachi features called VOSI™ technology, optimizing each sub-system's performance in concert with the other sub-systems, to give the seamless mix of high-field performance and the patient comfort, especially for claustrophobic patients, of open MR systems.

From Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc.;
The Aurora® 1.5T Dedicated Breast MRI System with Bilateral SpiralRODEO™ is the first and only FDA approved MRI device designed specifically for breast imaging. The Aurora System, which is already in clinical use at a growing number of leading breast care centers in the US, Europe, got in December 2006 also the approval from the State Food and Drug Administration of the People's Republic of China (SFDA).
'Some of the proprietary and distinguishing features of the Aurora System include: 1) an ellipsoid magnetic shim that provides coverage of both breasts, the chest wall and bilateral axillary lymph nodes; 2) a precision gradient coil with the high linearity required for high resolution spiral reconstruction;; 3) a patient-handling table that provides patient comfort and procedural utility; 4) a fully integrated Interventional System for MRI guided biopsy and localization; and 5) the user-friendly AuroraCAD™ computer-aided image display system designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostic interpretations.'

Manufactured by Esaote S.p.A.; compact in-office MRI system, fits in a 90 ft² (8.4 m²) space and requires no shielding or special power. This low field MRI magnet is optimized for orthopedic use and imaging of the extremities.
The C-SCAN™ is developed from the ARTOSCAN™ - M with a new computer platform, and is also known as Artoscan C.
Esaote North America and Hologic Inc. are the U.S. distributors of this MRI device.

Cervical spine MRI is a suitable tool in the assessment of all cervical spine (vertebrae C1 - C7) segments (computed tomography (CT) images may be unsatisfactory close to the thoracic spine due to shoulder artifacts). The cervical spine is particularly susceptible to degenerative problems caused by the complex anatomy and its large range of motion.
Advantages of magnetic resonance imaging MRI are the high soft tissue contrast (particularly important in diagnostics of the spinal cord), the ability to display the entire spine in sagittal views and the capacity of 3D visualization. Magnetic resonance myelography is a useful supplement to conventional MRI examinations in the investigation of cervical stenosis. Myelographic sequences result in MR images with high contrast that are similar in appearance to conventional myelograms. Additionally, open MRI studies provide the possibility of weight-bearing MRI scan to evaluate structural positional and kinetic changes of the cervical spine.
Indications of cervical spine MRI scans include the assessment of soft disc herniations, suspicion of disc hernia recurrence after operation, cervical spondylosis, osteophytes, joint arthrosis, spinal canal lesions (tumors, multiple sclerosis, etc.), bone diseases (infection, inflammation, tumoral infiltration) and paravertebral spaces.
State-of-the-art phased array spine coils and high performance MRI machines provide high image quality and short scan time. Imaging protocols for the cervical spine includes sagittal T1 weighted and T2 weighted sequences with 3-4 mm slice thickness and axial slices; usually contiguous from C2 through T1. Additionally, T2 fat suppressed and T1 post contrast images are often useful in spine imaging.

See also Lumbar Spine MRI.