So what do you use your 3T system for? Five years ago, that question would have been a good opening for a detailed discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of high-field MRI.

Throughput of five patients per day at 3T is unlikely to impress many hospital managers or radiology practice owners. But this is actually a best-case scenario for Prof. David Edwards and his team at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.

Striking the right balance between quality and throughput is never easy, especially when the queue of referrals seems never to end. Shorter scan times mean that another patient or two could be squeezed onto the day's work list.

Advances in coil technology and the development of tailored sequences have made 3T a versatile alternative to 1.5T. But it will be a long time until it displaces 1.5T as the workhorse of MR.