Mayo Clinic's approach

Collaboration

Mayo Clinic radiologists will collaborate as part of your healthcare team to help develop the most appropriate treatment plan for you based on your brain MRI findings.

State-of-the-art technology

Mayo Clinic offers 7-tesla MRI scanners at all three campuses. The 7-tesla MRI offers the strongest magnetic field of any MRI machine and provides the clearest and most detailed images.

Mayo Clinic was the first center in North America to use clinical 7-tesla MRI after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the system in late 2017.

The clinical use of 7-tesla MRI enhances Mayo Clinic's ability to manage epilepsy, certain brain and peripheral nerve tumors, and other neurological disorders. Mayo Clinic is one of the few centers that offers 7-tesla MRI as a routine diagnostic tool when evaluating patients with epilepsy. The exceptional detail provided by this machine allows surgeons to identify lesions prior to surgery — which gives patients a greater likelihood of seizure control.

Innovation

Using the 7-tesla MRI, Mayo Clinic experts have created innovative protocols. A novel imaging protocol and stereotactic head frame localizer were developed to perform treatment planning for deep brain stimulation electrode placement.

Specialists at Mayo Clinic also can provide imaging of the neuromelanin in the brain, aiding in Parkinson's disease detection by identifying reduced neuromelanin levels and elevated iron content.

Using the high-resolution images from 7-tesla MRI, Mayo Clinic researchers can detect specific changes in the motor cortex, facilitating earlier diagnosis and treatment intervention for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Expertise and rankings

Experience

Mayo Clinic's highly specialized radiology teams perform and interpret a large number of scans each year. When integrated with ongoing research and education, this results in broad expertise in the imaging and treatment of diseases affecting people of all ages.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked as the top hospital in Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, is ranked as the top hospital in Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, is ranked the top hospital in Florida.