All investigators are required to submit an MR protocol proposal form before scanning time can be booked. This form requires a brief description of the project, a detailed MR sequence protocol, and details on funding and Ethics approval. Scans may only be acquired for projects that have UBC or related Ethics approval. We also need a copy of the Subject Consent Form to be submitted along with the proposal form. The Imaging Centre Staff is available to help investigators design their experimental protocol. Once the MR protocol submission has been approved by the Imaging Centre 3T Protocol Committee, the investigator will be asked to sign a Rate Agreement. After the Rate Agreement has been signed, the study will be able to start booking MR scan time.
Pilot scan time may be awarded to studies that seek to implement a new experimental design or test the data quality of an existing MRI pulse sequence for their specific study goals. Please note that once a study has completed all pilot scans, the booking of study participants indicates to the UBC MRI Research Centre that the MRI data quality has met expectations.
Steps to Initiate an MR Study
How do I apply for a study?
- Contact UBC MRI facility staff to discuss the feasibility of conducting your study, and study protocols available to you.
- Apply for UBC Ethics approval and ensure that the study consent forms includes the text in the following section regarding the contraindications to MRI, the details of the MRI study procedure, and incidental findings in MRI.
- Submit a MR Protocol Proposal form and a copy of the subject consent form to the Imaging Centre Administrator Email: Karina Antonenko. You can perform this step while Ethics Approval is still pending.
3T MRI PROTOCOL PROPOSAL FORM (Oct 2024, Version 34)
3T MRI PROTOCOL PROPOSAL FORM FAQ (June 2021, Version 32)
Wording to Use in Consent Forms
Wording for Contraindications:
Exclusions:
You CANNOT participate if you have any of the following:
- Retained wires from an electronic implant that has been removed (i.e. pacemaker wires not attached to a pacemaker)
- Cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator
- Metal in eye or orbit
- Ferromagnetic aneurysm clip
- Pregnancy
- Makeup tattoos that are not designed to fade over time
- Stainless steel intrauterine device (IUD)
Depending on the individual situation, you MAY NOT be able to participate if you have/had any of the following:
- Artificial heart valve
- Ear or eye implant
- Brain aneurysm clip
- Implanted electronic device (i.e. drug infusion pump, electrical stimulator)
- Coil, catheter, or filter in any blood vessel
- Orthopedic hardware (artificial joint, plate, screw, rod)
- Shrapnel, bullets, or other metal fragments
- Surgery, medical procedure or tattoos (including tattooed eyeliner) in the last six weeks
- Other metallic prostheses
If you have any of the above or if there are possible safety issues that arise during the MRI screening process, your individual case will be reviewed by the UBC Hospital MR Technologist and/or Radiologist. A decision will be made regarding your participation in the study. In many cases, an operative report may be required to assess the nature of the implants in your body.
Wording for the MRI Scan Procedure
Please ensure that a description similar to the one below, but accurate to your specific study procedure, is included in the consent form:
Upon arrival at the UBC MRI Research Centre, you will be asked to complete a detailed MRI Safety Screening Form asking about contraindications to MRI. This form will be reviewed with you by the MRI Technologist to ensure your safety during the scanning session. You will be asked to change into hospital pajamas and to remove all metal objects (such as hearing aids, dentures, jewelry, watches, hairpins, and ALL piercings) from your body because these objects may be attracted to the scanner magnet with the potential risk of injury. Please remove ALL piercings and jewelry regardless of if you have been scanned before with it, the type of metal and location. Your exam may be canceled for safety or image quality reasons if you do not remove your piercings. Cotton/Poly blend undergarments and socks can be worn, but no athletic wear, anti-microbial fabrics or fabrics containing metal fibres, as they pose a risk of burns.
You will then be positioned on the table top of the MRI scanner. An MR coil (a specifically designed antenna) will be placed around your head like a large helmet. You will be able to see through the antenna and there is a mirror so you can see out of the scanner. You will be given headphones so you can hear and speak to the MRI Technologist, and a call bell so that you can get the attention of the MRI Technologist if you need to. You will then be slid into the centre of the scanner, which has a diameter of 70cm (27.6inches). The scans will take no longer than [##] minutes, after which you will be brought out of the MRI scanner.
Wording for Incidental Findings
As this will NOT be a medically indicated examination, there will be no formal review of the scans and no report will be made. The MRI scan being done is designed to answer research questions, not examine you medically. This MRI scan is not a substitute for one a doctor would order. It may not show problems that would be picked up by a medical MRI scan. However, if we believe that we have found a medical problem in your MRI scan, we will ask a doctor who is trained in the reading of MRI scans, a radiologist, to help us review the images. If the radiologist thinks that there may be an abnormality in your MRI scan that requires follow-up, we will contact you and with your permission, contact your family physician and help him or her obtain the appropriate follow-up for you. No information generated in this study will become part of your permanent medical record. However, if the study detects an abnormality in your MRI scan and further follow-up is required, then this information may become part of your record.
Please provide:
Your full name:_________________________ Phone number:__________________
Family Doctor/Medical Clinic:_____________________________
What happens next?
- When the study is approved, or if further information is required by the Protocol Proposal Committee, you will be contacted.
- After study approval, a Rate Agreement will be sent. Your study may only start after this Agreement has been signed and returned.
- When Ethics approval is obtained, the Rate Agreement has been signed, and MR protocols are approved, the study may begin booking participants.
- If your study is awarded pilot scan time, once your study begins booking study participants it indicates to the Centre that the MRI data quality meets expectations.
- You and/or your designates (anyone scheduling and/or accompanying subjects to Centre) must undergo a Safety and Facility Orientation.
- You must contact the Technologist Supervisor, Laura Barlow, who will set up your study, arrange Safety Orientations, and put you in touch with the Centre scientists. Study investigators can then arrange appointment bookings with the Centre Technologists at 3T Bookings
- Please read the Subject information sheet, as it is a useful resource for booking.
3T MRI facility operates as on a cost-recovery basis. For current fee rates and cancellation policy see 3T Imaging Rates.