Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025. Vol. 70. № 6

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-6-45-53

A.S. Lagutin, G.Y. Grigoriev

Safety Issues in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a Brief Overview

National Research Center «Kurchatov Institute», Moscow, Russia

Contact person: A.S. Lagutin, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

ABSTRACT

Purpose: In the 21st century, there has been a clear trend towards the transition from 0.3‒0.6 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to strong-field (1‒3 T) scanners, and in its second decade, to ultra-high-field MRI (7 T and more). This work provides an updated review of research addressing the safety concerns associated with MRI in strong and ultra-strong magnetic fields. 

Material and methods: The literature search for subsequent analysis was conducted by matching the titles of medical topics using the MeSH rubricator of the PubMed database. Then, a search was performed on this database and the Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics) for the period from 2000 to April 2025. Additionally, publications on MRI safety issues were selected using Google and Yandex search engines, and works related to the future of magnetic resonance imaging were examined.

Results: Review articles and original research papers were analyzed, which discussed various aspects of the safety of MRI procedures. The publications cited in the article are research papers devoted to the applications of magnetic resonance imaging for both medical and scientific purposes. The requirements of electromagnetic safety in MRI were updated, taking into account modern domestic and foreign regulatory documents.

Conclusion: This article provides an overview of research results related to the safety issues associated with static magnetic fields, radio frequency fields, and time-varying magnetic field gradients in MRI scanners. The scientific literature has been summarized and critically analyzed using reviews by recognized experts, as well as domestic and international regulations on MRI safety. Based on the literature data, it can be said that the safe use of magnetic resonance techniques in magnetic fields up to and including 7 T has been confirmed by the successful clinical practice of using MRI scanners over the past decade.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging, strong magnetic fields, field gradients, electromagnetic radiation, bioeffects, safety of MRI examinations

For citation: Lagutin AS, Grigoriev GY. Safety Issues in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a Brief Overview. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025;70(6):45–53. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-6-45-53

 

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The study had no sponsorship.

Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.

Article received: 20.07.2025. Accepted for publication: 25.08.2025.