Low-Field MRI Reduces Cost and Environmental Impact While Maintaining Diagnostic Performance in Resource-Limited Settings: A Narrative Review With Cardiovascular Focus.

High-field MRI (1.5-3 T) delivers excellent images but requires costly, energy-intensive infrastructure. Emerging low-field systems (<1 T) cut equipment and operating costs and consume far less power, making them attractive for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We conducted a narrative review of human studies from LMICs that reported clinical, economic or environmental outcomes of low-field MRI, paying special attention to cardiovascular applications and implementation issues in Pakistan. Across included papers, low-field scanners lowered capital expenditure, energy consumption and siting requirements while maintaining diagnostic performance comparable to high-field units in several settings, notably musculoskeletal imaging and intra-operative guidance. Evidence for cardiovascular imaging remains scarce, and key barriers-lower spatial resolution, limited local expertise and infrastructure gaps-persist. Nonetheless, low-field MRI offers Pakistan a feasible, environmentally sustainable option for clinical imaging more broadly; direct evidence for cardiovascular applications, however, remains limited and largely indirect, so routine cardiovascular use will require dedicated validation and further technical refinement before it can be recommended.
Cardiovascular diseases
Access
Care/Management
Policy

Authors

Tran Tran, Chang Chang, Thiru Thiru, Sanchez Sanchez, Janjua Janjua, Rajpoot Rajpoot, Saleem Saleem, Marey Marey, Kassahun Kassahun, Adeleke Adeleke, Umair Umair
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