Websites for Neuroradiologists

MR:comp GmbH

www.mrcomp.com

Please note: this is the first time that we present a commercial, i.e., company-owned, website in this column. Publisher and editors have discussed this and agreed that, as we do not advertise the company’s products or services here, it is in accordance with the editorial policy to direct our readers to pages where they can find valuable information.

MR:comp is a German company that specializes in testing medical devices. On their website, you find an overview of standards for testing, especially for MR compatibility.

This is not a listing of MR-compatible devices as, e.g., the „Clipfinder“ database that was presented here in issue 1/2006. Rather, you find information that physicists and engineers will need if they want to develop a new (implantable) device and use the appropriate, internationally accepted methods to test this device’s MR compatibility.

If you want to use an existing device in an MR suite, these standards will also help your on-site technical/engineering staff to determine whether this would present a potential hazard to patients or volunteers.

The list includes standards defined by AMST International (the former American Society for Testing and Materials), by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), the German DIN (“Deutsches Institut für Normung”, German Standards Institute), and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

You do not get the standards on this site (for AMST International and DIN regulations, a fee is required), but you will know exactly which standards you have to observe for which kind of device.

The figure above shows one of the ASTM standards that is linked on the MR:comp website. Note that the full text costs 35.00 US dollars.

FDA regulations, however, can be downloaded free of charge as they are issued by a US federal authority.

In summary, the listing on MR:comp’s website is very useful for everybody involved in development or testing of medical devices, either in industry or in clinical research units, as it provides an overview of the relevant international standards.

Christoph Ozdoba, Bern, Switzerland