The authors evaluated silent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences for
their suitability in providing high-spatial-resolution anatomic images that
are of sufficient quality to be useful in a clinical setting. The authors
compared the images obtained with a silent rapid acquisition with relaxatio
n enhancement (RARE) sequence to its standard counterpart with respect to s
ignal-to-noise ratio, distribution of gray level, and spatial resolution. N
o real differences were observed between the standard and the silent RARE M
R images. Anatomic images were also acquired with a silent spin-echo sequen
ce. Acoustic noise levels with the silent sequences were at least 22 dB (A-
weighted scale) lower than those with standard sequences, without loss of i
mage quality.