Prostate cancer, perhaps more than any other malignant disease process, poses questions that only imaging can answer. MRI has the potential to yield more information about the prostate gland than any other imaging modality. Because of its parametric capabilities, MRI in a single exam can produce high-resolution anatomic imaging with excellent soft-tissue contrast.

Diffusion tensor imaging at 1.5T MRI just was not practical. While MRI at 1.5T could generate diffusion tensor maps, it required lengthy scan times to get resolution decent enough to eliminate noise and reveal fiber bundle tracking.

Neuroimaging with MRI at 3T is superior for nearly every application in the brain and spine, and it is certainly inferior for none. The technique has unique strengths for performing vascular work and functional brain imaging, but there is nothing that a 3T MR scanner can't do better than a 1.5T machine.