Toshiba Excelart Vantage 1.5: vertical stripes on images after warm-up
What happened
Stable vertical stripe artifacts appeared on MR images after several minutes of scanning, as if heat-related. Per the case report, after a standby period of about 30 minutes the scanner produced clean images again, but only for a few minutes.
What was checked
- Checked the console system unit for EMC and grounding issues, since the symptom had appeared after recent cleaning of the hardware.
- Ruled out a transmitter mismatch as the source of the artifact.
- Confirmed the heat-dependent character of the fault by timing when the stripes appeared and cleared.
Cause
The engineers found that one of the reconstruction boards in one of the two reconstructor units was faulty: it worked when cold and produced stripes once warmed, probably due to a poor contact.
What was done
The engineers swapped the reconstruction boards between the two reconstructor units. The artifact disappeared on all coils and at any channel count, and per the case report the scanner stayed trouble-free afterwards. The root cause was stated as probable (poor contact), not confirmed by teardown.
Safety
The MR magnet field is always present, so keep ferromagnetic tools clear of the system when working inside the suite, and verify image quality and the required electrical safety tests before returning the scanner to use.
Lesson: An artifact that comes and goes with temperature points to the imaging-chain hardware, and a controlled swap between two identical units is a fast, low-cost way to isolate a failing board.
Covered in the course: MRI Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding →
Written from an anonymised case shared by service engineers. It is not a manufacturer instruction and grants no authorisation. Independent note; names are trademarks of their owners.