Feasibility Testing of 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging

October 1, 2025 updated by: Reto Sutter, MD

Explorative Technical Feasibility Testing of 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Musculoskeletal System and of the Head

The goal of the current project is to explore and develop the technical feasibility of non-invasive imaging of the human musculoskeletal system and head with the first 7T MR scanner with a CE mark to identify areas where the higher field promises significant benefits in qualitative image quality. For a subset of the planned exams, state-of-the art 7T or 3T images will be used as standard of reference to comparatively gauge the qualitative image quality of the investigational 7T images.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

780

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
    • Canton of Zurich
      • Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, 8008
        • Recruiting
        • Balgrist University Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Consent to undergo a 7T (and, if appropriate a comparative 3T) MRI exam.
  • For some of the consistent small series: presence of a specific condition of the musculoskeletal system or of the head. This can include traumatic or degenerative changes, e.g., of tendons, cartilage, muscle, peripheral nerves, ligaments, and bones, or in the brain, as well as focal lesions, e.g., tumors.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to undergo a MRI examination at a field strength of 7 Tesla or at 3 Tesla.
  • Irregular anatomy and/or tissue properties
  • Inability to consent - for any reason.
  • Body mass above 200 kg.
  • Body mass below 30 kg.
  • Women: pregnancy.
  • Age below 18.
  • Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse.
  • Inability to follow the procedures of the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 7 T MRI
Other: 7 T MRI vs 3 T MRI
Adult healthy and patient volunteers will undergo a ca. 1 hour examination of non-invasive magnetic-resonance imaging at 7T, and, if appropriate, a closely matching examination at 3T as a standard of reference.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Qualitative image quality of 7 T MRI
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Current-day feasibility of various types of MR examinations of the human musculoskeletal system. The primary outcomes of small consistent series of the study are visual gradings and qualitative measures of image quality. Image quality is rated by independent readers using Likert scales.
through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Reto Sutter, MD

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Reto Sutter, Prof., Balgrist University Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 7, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 29, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 29, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 18, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 7, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

August 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

October 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 1, 2025

Last Verified

October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • I0171

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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