he liquid helium shortage will have some impact on installation of new MRI scanners which require about 1500 litres of liquid helium as the initial fill for the MRI magnets. With shortage of liquid helium due to the war there could be delays in new installations along with increased costs as the liquid helium prices could rise due to shortage.
The already installed MRI scanners there would be no immediate problem as all the current MRI scanners have K4 technology with zero boil off. So scanners will continue to function at the same level of efficiency and quality as helium does not need to be refilled at short intervals. Top up of liquid helium is generally required only once in about three years when the cold head in the MRI magnet is to be changed. Hence, the existing installed base should face no immediate problems
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