MR Excellence Academy on MSK

On June 24-25, the MR Excellence Team delivered their second MR Excellence Academy training. Following the highly successful Neuro Course which took place in March, the MR Excellence training sessions aim to take advantage of the MR Excellence Network, strengthen the relationship between radiographers and deepen and improve their knowledge.

The level of interest shown across the Affidea group was remarkable. Despite summertime and the extreme heat wave felt across Europe, 12 participants from nine countries (Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland) attended the Vaci Greens Training Center in Budapest, Hungary.

All country representatives were warmly welcomed by Peter Szatmari, MR Programme Manager, who encouraged everyone to share newly acquired knowledge with colleagues on return to work. Affidea’s Clinical Governance Leader, Nasia Papachristodoulou, also attended the opening and first session.

Guided by GE’s Rogeriolopes Pintolopes, the theme of the course was Musculoskeletal MR. An experienced lecturer with an impressive background in biomedical engineering, Rogeriolopes provided a comprehensive set of concepts from basics to advanced principles. During the two-day training, participants were introduced to the importance of different coils and positioning of the patient, supplemented by associated anatomical and pathological knowledge.

Participants learned that a good radiographer should always be aware of the physical effects of modification of parameters during everyday work and be prepared to recognize and solve possible artefacts. They were able to further their knowledge of image contrast and become more familiar with the standard and advanced sequences used during MSK imaging. Finally, the attendees could apply the new concepts in a practical demonstration on the Bank Center site MR console, mainly addressing calculations by taking spatial resolution receiver bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio into account.

The memorable two-day event provided a combination of learning and enjoyment.

Positive feedback from participants included: “I found the training really useful and enjoyed every second of it”; “To meet fellow radiographers from different countries was great”; "I am always happy with every opportunity to broaden my horizons”; “Even far away from home…I felt like I was at home”.

The Academy will continue. See you in the Autumn!