SwiftMR for Hitachi Open MRI Systems: AIRIS 0.3T & OASIS 1.2T

For imaging centers using Hitachi open MRI systems, the opportunity is not a new scanner. It is getting more performance, predictability, and financial value from the scanner already in place.

But open MRI systems also come with technical and operational trade-offs. Because lower-field scanners generate less signal than standard 1.5T or 3T closed-bore systems, lower signal-to-noise ratio can make it harder to capture high-resolution images, especially for small anatomy, fine soft-tissue detail, or complex neurological findings.

To compensate, protocols may require longer acquisition times. Longer scans can make appointment slots less predictable, reduce daily scanner capacity, increase the risk of patient motion, and raise the chance of image degradation or repeat imaging.

For Hitachi AIRIS 0.3T, these challenges are more pronounced because of its low-field design: lower SNR can limit image detail and contribute to longer scan times across routine neuro and musculoskeletal exams.

For Hitachi OASIS 1.2T, the challenge is different. As a higher-field open MRI system, it offers stronger performance than very low-field open MRI while preserving the comfort benefits of an open design. But compared with standard 1.5T closed-bore systems, its field strength and open architecture can still create trade-offs in signal, scan time, and image definition for certain high-detail applications.

For imaging teams, the challenge is twofold.

For executives and operational decision leaders, the question is how to make Hitachi open MRI systems more productive, more predictable, and more financially valuable without replacing the scanner.

For radiologists, the question is whether scan time can be reduced while preserving image quality and diagnostic confidence.

SwiftMR on Hitachi AIRIS 0.3T Scanner

For East River Medical Imaging, the goal was clear: improve the clinical and operational value of the Hitachi AIRIS ELITE 0.3T already in place.

After implementing SwiftMR®, East River Medical Imaging significantly reduced scan times across neuro and musculoskeletal protocols.

Hitachi AIRIS ELITE 0.3 Tesla — Before & After Integration

SwiftMR also demonstrated a 56% faster scan for a Coronal PD Shoulder exam by reducing scan time from 4:00 to 1:46.

Coronal PD Shoulder · Hitachi AIRIS ELITE 0.3T

Operational, clinical and patient benefits

The operational impact was significant.

With SwiftMR, East River Medical Imaging increased MRI scan volume from 16 to 24 patients in an 8-hour window. That represents 8 additional patients per day from the same scanner capacity.

For imaging leaders, that can create meaningful financial value without replacing the scanner, adding staff, or extending operating hours. Depending on reimbursement, those additional patient slots can translate into hundreds of thousands — and potentially more than $1 million — in annual revenue opportunity.

The clinical value was equally important.

By reducing scan times while improving image quality, SwiftMR helped support clearer images from accelerated acquisitions and reduce the risk of motion-related image degradation.

For patients with claustrophobia, anxiety, pain, or difficulty remaining still, shorter exams can make MRI more tolerable and easier to complete.

The workflow impact extended to staff as well. Shorter, more predictable exams helped East River stay on schedule, reduce disruption from late arrivals or patient movement, and give technologists more breathing room between studies. Their team also reported improved patient and technologist satisfaction, with faster scans helping reduce stress on both sides of the glass.

SwiftMR on Hitachi OASIS 1.2T

The Hitachi OASIS 1.2T is a higher-field open MRI system used by imaging centers that need to support patients who benefit from a more accessible scanning environment, including patients with claustrophobia, larger body habitus, mobility challenges, or difficulty tolerating a conventional closed-bore exam.

For these sites, the opportunity is not scanner replacement. It is optimization.

Even when an open MRI scanner is already performing well, scan time still affects daily workflow. Longer or variable exams can make appointment slots harder to standardize, reduce schedule flexibility, and limit how many patients can be scanned in a normal operating day.

SwiftMR® helps address this by reducing scan time while supporting image quality from accelerated acquisitions.

Across Hitachi OASIS 1.2T data, SwiftMR demonstrated an average scan time reduction of 42% across multiple protocols. Reported reductions included:

Clinical image examples also show SwiftMR applied to lumbar spine imaging on Hitachi OASIS 1.2T. In the examples provided, T2 axial L-Spine was reduced from 4:20 to 3:43, while T1 sagittal L-Spine was reduced from 3:46 to 2:50.

For OASIS 1.2T sites, the value is not only faster individual exams. It is better schedule control.

Shorter scan times can help imaging centers create more consistent appointment slots, reduce scheduling gaps, increase scanner availability, improve patient flow throughout the day, and support higher throughput potential and stronger financial performance from the scanner already in place.

For radiologists, the value is maintaining confidence in image quality while reducing scan time. SwiftMR supports clearer images from accelerated acquisitions by reducing image noise and improving image sharpness.

For patients, especially those who rely on open MRI because of claustrophobia, pain, mobility limitations, or body habitus, shorter exams mean less time in the scanner and a more tolerable imaging experience.

Clinical, operational, and patient benefits

On Hitachi OASIS 1.2T, SwiftMR® demonstrated an average scan time reduction of 42% across multiple protocols. In practical terms, that means the scan portion of the exam takes approximately 58% of its original acquisition time.

For imaging leaders, that reduction creates meaningful capacity. In an 8-hour schedule, a site using 30-minute appointment slots can typically accommodate 16 patients per day. With shorter scan times, those slots may be reduced closer to 20 minutes, creating the potential to scan up to 24 patients per day.

That represents 8 additional patients per day, or a potential 50% increase in daily MRI scan volume, without adding staff, extending operating hours, or replacing the scanner.

The operational value is not just faster exams. It is better schedule control. Shorter, more consistent scan times can help imaging centers reduce scheduling gaps, improve appointment predictability, increase scanner availability, and generate more financial value from the OASIS system already in place.

The clinical value is equally important. SwiftMR helps reduce image noise and improve image sharpness from accelerated acquisitions, supporting shorter scan times while helping radiologists maintain confidence in the images being reviewed.

For patients, shorter exams mean less time in the scanner. This is especially important for patients who rely on open MRI because of claustrophobia, pain, mobility limitations, larger body habitus, or difficulty remaining still.

For technologists, more predictable exams can reduce schedule pressure, limit downstream disruption, and create more breathing room in the daily workflow.

Frequently Asked Customer Questions

SwiftMR: Making Hitachi Open MRI Systems Work Harder

Hitachi open MRI systems continue to play an important role for imaging centers that need to serve patients who may not tolerate conventional closed-bore MRI exams. But for these scanners to remain clinically and financially valuable, they also need to support efficient schedules, reliable image quality, and predictable daily workflow.

SwiftMR solves that challenge.

On Hitachi AIRIS ELITE 0.3T, SwiftMR demonstrated meaningful scan-time reductions across neuro and musculoskeletal protocols, helping improve the performance of a low-field open MRI system already in place. On Hitachi OASIS 1.2T, SwiftMR supports faster, more predictable exams that can help imaging teams improve scanner utilization while preserving the comfort benefits of open MRI.

For imaging leaders, the value is greater productivity and revenue opportunity from existing scanner infrastructure. For radiologists, the value is reducing scan time while supporting image quality and diagnostic confidence. For technologists and patients, the value is a more predictable, less stressful MRI experience.

The takeaway is simple: improving MRI performance does not always require replacing the scanner.

For Hitachi open MRI sites, SwiftMR offers a practical software-based path to reduce scan times, improve image quality, and get more value from the systems already serving patients every day.

Evaluate SwiftMR for your Hitachi MRI system. Get in touch for a conversation or demo.