Portable MRI shows strong match with standard scans in neurology clinics
Hyperfine’s Swoop was preferred by patients in a real-world study
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- Portable MRI (Swoop) showed 92% diagnostic agreement with conventional MRI for neurological conditions.
- Patients strongly preferred portable MRI over traditional scans, citing greater comfort and less anxiety.
- The portable system could help improve access to brain imaging in neurology clinics for conditions like multiple sclerosis.
Hyperfine’s Swoop system, the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared AI-powered portable MRI system for the brain, showed strong diagnostic agreement with conventional MRI scans and was preferred by patients, according to new study results.
Because Swoop can be used in neurology clinics, it may help make brain imaging more accessible and comfortable for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurologic conditions.
The findings came from the NEURO PMR study, which compared Swoop with standard MRI scans for clinical utility and patient experience. Results were presented last week at the American Society of Neuroimaging annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Laszlo Mechtler, MD, the study’s lead investigator and chief medical officer at DENT Neurologic Institute, one of the two study sites.
Early findings suggest portable MRI can deliver clinically useful images
“From a clinical perspective, I have been impressed by the image quality delivered by the Swoop system. The study results give me confidence in its ability to detect structural abnormalities encountered in routine neurological care,” Mechtler said in a Hyperfine press release.
“Portable MRI represents a groundbreaking innovation for neurology clinics, complementing tools like EEG [electroencephalogram] and ultrasound to expand diagnostic capabilities at the point of care,” he added. “Neuroimaging is not merely an ancillary test but an extension of the neurological examination—expanding access to this technology will put imaging back into the neurologist’s hands and meaningfully improve the quality of patient care.”
MS develops when an immune system response mistakenly attacks certain parts of the brain and spinal cord, causing nerve tissue damage and a range of neurological symptoms.
MRI is the gold standard for detecting areas of MS-related damage, called lesions, and is therefore the preferred tool for diagnosing and monitoring MS progression. This noninvasive imaging technique uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of tissues inside the body.
Conventional MRI systems typically operate using very powerful magnets. Higher magnetic strength generally produces sharper images, improving the ability to detect and evaluate lesions. However, the size and infrastructure required to support these magnets mean that MRI scanners are confined to hospital or specialized imaging facilities, making them inaccessible in many clinical settings.
Swoop system is designed to make brain MRI more accessible
The Swoop system is an AI-powered brain MRI designed to overcome many of these long-standing barriers by using an ultra-low magnetic field strength and a compact design.
Unlike conventional MRI scanners, the Swoop system is compact and portable enough to be used in a standard exam room. It also does not require specialized rooms, shielding, or cryogenic helium to cool the magnet’s coils, and it runs on a standard electrical outlet.
Scans can be performed by existing clinic staff, allowing practices to integrate MRI imaging into routine care. In addition, imaging performed with the Swoop system is eligible for reimbursement under existing brain MRI CPT codes after a site obtains the appropriate accreditation.
The Swoop system is designed to generate images of the head’s internal structures in cases where a full conventional MRI exam may not be clinically feasible. When reviewed by a trained physician, these images can provide clinically useful information to support a diagnosis.
The NEURO PMR study compared the portable MRI Swoop system with a standard high-field MRI. A total of 125 patients with neurologic conditions, including MS, were enrolled across two outpatient neurology practices: the DENT Neurologic Institute and Texas Neurology.
In blinded reviews by independent neuroradiologists (who did not know which images came from Swoop or conventional scans), the portable system agreed with standard MRI in identifying the presence or absence of disease-related features in 92% of cases.
When clinical information was also included, agreement rose to 98%, suggesting the portable system can closely align with standard MRI in real-world clinical decision-making.
Study participants report a better MRI experience with Swoop
Patients also expressed a stronger preference for the portable MRI and were four times more likely to choose it over a conventional scan. They also rated portable MRI more favorably than standard MRI across all experience-related outcomes, including comfort, anxiety, claustrophobia, noise, and overall satisfaction.
“The NEURO PMR results validate the transformative role portable MRI can play in expanding imaging beyond traditional hospital settings,” said Chi Nguyen, senior vice president of office and community business at Hyperfine.
“By removing the economic and operational barriers of conventional MRI, the Swoop system empowers neurology practices to deliver safe and convenient imaging in the clinic. This is a win for physicians, who gain timely diagnostic insights; a win for patients, who enjoy a better imaging experience; and a win for the healthcare system, which benefits from efficient, cost-effective care delivery,” Nguyen added.
