AI RapidScan™: Up to 50% Faster MRI Scans Without New Protocols for the Technician Team, Without Workflow Changes, and Without Compromising Quality

A faster MRI protocol means an operational advantage, faster access to examination, and a potentially earlier diagnosis

In modern medical imaging, there is a fundamental limitation: high-quality MRI scans take time. Every minute spent on the examination table carries an implicit cost - for the patient, for the clinic - and in some cases, these factors can influence disease management and prognosis.

For a clinic or hospital, reducing scan time is not merely a technological benefit. It is an operational advantage. A shorter MRI protocol can mean more available appointments, fewer delays, patients who are easier to manage, and more efficient use of existing equipment.

At Atlas Imagistica, we have implemented AI RapidScan™, an AI-powered MRI acceleration solution that reduces scan protocol duration by up to 50% while maintaining full diagnostic image quality. AI RapidScan™ does not replace the radiologist’s expertise and does not alter medical responsibility. Its role is to optimize image acquisition and reconstruction, enabling the medical team to work more efficiently with diagnostically validated images.

The operational impact is measurable from the first month of implementation: +30% patients per day, 1-2 days for deployment, compatibility with existing PACS, and zero additional hardware costs.

The validation process was coordinated directly by Dr. Sorin Roșca, Medical Director of Atlas Imagistica and senior radiologist, who personally reviewed each protocol before making it available to partners.

“I personally compared the images with those obtained without the AI solution, region by region. I did not make them available to partners until I was convinced that the images support an equally reliable diagnosis. Acceleration does not change medical responsibility in any way - the final interpretation always remains the radiologist’s.”

The challenge: why conventional MRI scans delay access to examination and a potentially earlier diagnosis

A standard MRI examination takes between 20 and 60 minutes, depending on the protocol and anatomical region. Extended scan times have direct, measurable consequences:

• Patients with anxiety or claustrophobia (up to 15% of all scanned patients) cannot tolerate the procedure and abandon or refuse the examination
• Patients with chronic pain, particularly musculoskeletal, cannot remain immobilized for the full scan duration, thereby compromising image quality
• Pediatric and elderly patients frequently require sedation for long scans - a procedure with its own risks and additional logistics
• Scanner capacity is limited: every extended examination reduces the number of patients per day and increases waiting lists

How AI RapidScan™ works

AI RapidScan™ is a software solution powered by the SwiftMR AI platform, natively integrated into the clinic’s existing MRI workflow. It requires no new hardware, does not modify the scanner, and does not impose new protocols on the technician team.

01 - Accelerated Acquisition

Existing protocols run with optimized parameters: fewer k-space lines are acquired, directly reducing the patient’s scan time.

02 - AI Reconstruction

The deep-learning algorithm reconstructs the image at full diagnostic resolution from the acquired data. The result is an image of identical or superior quality compared to a standard scan, obtained in less time.

03 - Automated Validation

Before delivery, the system automatically verifies the images before they enter the interpretation workflow. The radiologist receives quality-assured images.

04 - Native Integration

The software is compatible with Siemens Syngo.via, GE AW Server, and any existing PACS. No additional IT effort is required from the partner clinic.

AI RapidScan™ - powered by SwiftMR AI - is FDA cleared and CE Mark certified.

Clinical data validated at Atlas Imagistica on a GE Explorer 1.5T.

Validated clinical results

The data below was collected using standard protocols at Atlas Imagistica on a GE Explorer 1.5T. Diagnostic quality was validated by independent radiologists for each protocol.

Brain Protocol - -36%

The brain MRI examination benefits from an average reduction of 36%, from 23:01 to 14:41 minutes. The most significant acceleration is recorded on the Ax T2 Propeller sequence: from 3:51 to 0:55 minutes - a 76% reduction.

Knee Protocol - -41%

The knee MRI examination is one of the regions with the best response to AI acceleration: an average reduction of 41%, from 17:00 to 9:57 minutes. The Cor PD sequence records the highest compression: from 2:58 to 1:15 minutes (-58%).

Lumbar Spine Protocol - -43%

The lumbar spine MRI examination achieves an average scan time reduction of 43%, from 15:00 to 8:36 minutes. The Sag T2 and Sag T1 sequences are compressed by nearly 50% each.

Impact on difficult-to-examine patients

The most common patient concern before an MRI examination is the inability to remain inside the scanner for an extended period. This may be due to physical reasons as well as psychological factors. By reducing scan time by 26-50% depending on the protocol, AI RapidScan™ fundamentally transforms the patient experience:

• Patients with moderate claustrophobia may be able to complete the examination without sedative medication - less time in the scanner means less cumulative psychological stress
• In certain cases, reduced scan time may contribute to decreased sedation needs, depending on age, indication, and protocol - safer, faster, less traumatic
• Patients with musculoskeletal pain may be able to maintain the required immobility for a significantly shorter duration

As a result, rescheduling rates decrease, and patients complete their MRI examination on the first attempt, gaining access to earlier imaging diagnosis.

Protocols shortened by 26-50% fundamentally change the tolerability of the procedure.

Measurable operational benefits

AI RapidScan™ is also an instrument with measurable operational impact from the first month of implementation.

• Increased capacity - same MRI scanner, at least 30% more patients per day, without hardware investment
• Reduced waiting lists - a major competitive advantage in the local market
• Compatible integration with existing PACS, deployment in 1-2 days

Simple implementation

AI and diagnostic responsibility

AI RapidScan™ has been validated on thousands of examinations, with systematic image quality comparison by independent radiologists. The visual difference compared to a standard scan is negligible or non-existent in validated protocols.

The principle we apply is consistent with our overall vision of AI in radiology: artificial intelligence has the capacity to accelerate and optimize imaging studies, but the final diagnostic judgment always belongs to the radiologist.