Siemens Healthineers MAGNETOM Sola

Image Artifact, SliceAdjust, Distortion, or Failed QA Scan

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Asset Type

MRI System

Manufacturer

Siemens Healthineers

Model

MAGNETOM Sola

What This Guide Helps With

Troubleshooting MRI image artifacts, SliceAdjust issues, distortion, or QA failures caused by setup, coils, environment, or system conditions.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Ensure Patient Safety First

If image distortion, artifacts, or QA failure occurs during a patient scan, stop using the affected sequence or scanner workflow until image quality is verified.

Remove the patient from the scan room if troubleshooting requires repeated scans, phantom work, coil changes, table movement, or system checks.

Expected outcome: Patient care is not continued on a scanner producing unreliable diagnostic images.

Confirm the Reported Problem

Review what was reported by MRI staff:

Expected outcome: The problem is clearly defined before troubleshooting begins.

If the issue was a single poor patient image caused by motion, positioning, or anatomy-specific conditions, document the finding and stop if repeat QA is normal.

Check Whether the Issue Is Patient-Specific or System-Wide

Ask MRI staff whether the artifact appears:

Expected outcome: The issue is narrowed to patient setup, coil, protocol, or scanner-wide performance.

If the issue only occurred with one patient and QA passes afterward, the scanner may not require removal from service.

Verify the Scanner Is Safe and Stable for Testing

Confirm there are no active system alarms, quench warnings, helium-related alerts, cooling alarms, abnormal equipment room conditions, or unusual sounds from the magnet room or equipment room.

Expected outcome: No environmental or system safety condition is present before additional scanning is attempted.

If there is an active magnet, cryogen, cooling, RF, gradient, or system fault, stop troubleshooting and escalate.

Confirm Daily QA Procedure Was Performed Correctly

Verify that the correct QA phantom, holder, coil, table position, landmark, protocol, and scan setup were used.

Check that the phantom was positioned consistently and allowed to settle if it was recently moved or filled.

Expected outcome: QA failure is not due to incorrect phantom setup or operator workflow.

If correcting the phantom setup allows QA to pass, document the setup issue and stop.

Inspect the QA Phantom and Accessories

Check the phantom for visible damage, leaks, air bubbles, incorrect fluid level, cracked housing, missing holder pieces, or improper positioning aids.

Expected outcome: The phantom and QA accessories are in usable condition.

If the phantom is damaged or questionable, remove the phantom from use and repeat QA with an approved known-good phantom if available.

Repeat QA Under Controlled Conditions

Have MRI staff or qualified personnel repeat the QA scan using the standard daily QA workflow with no unnecessary changes.

Expected outcome: QA either passes, fails consistently, or fails intermittently.

If QA passes and no artifact is seen on follow-up testing, document the successful repeat test and return the scanner to normal workflow per site policy.

Check Coil Selection and Coil Connection

Verify the correct coil was selected for the test or clinical scan.

Inspect the coil connection points, coil latches, table connectors, and visible cable strain areas for obvious damage, contamination, bent pins, poor seating, or loose connection.

Expected outcome: The coil is properly connected and recognized by the system.

If reseating or replacing the coil resolves the artifact or QA issue, document the coil-related cause and stop.

Test With a Known-Good Coil When Appropriate

If the artifact appears linked to one coil, repeat testing with another compatible known-good coil or body coil workflow if clinically and technically appropriate.

Expected outcome: The issue follows the suspect coil or remains with the scanner.

If the issue follows one coil, remove that coil from service and send it for evaluation.

Look for External RF Interference Sources

Confirm the scan room door is fully closed during testing.

Check for unauthorized or unusual items in the MRI room, including:

Expected outcome: External RF or setup-related causes are ruled out.

If removing an item or correcting cable routing resolves the artifact, document the finding and stop.

Check for Recent Environmental or Facility Changes

Ask whether there were recent changes near the MRI suite, such as construction, new electrical equipment, door service, RF door work, HVAC issues, power work, chiller service, or equipment room alarms.

Expected outcome: A possible environmental cause is identified or ruled out.

If the issue began after facility work or RF enclosure service, escalate to MRI service and facilities support.

Check Table Positioning and Landmark Consistency

Verify that the table moves smoothly, the landmark is set correctly, and the patient or phantom is positioned at isocenter as required for the protocol.

Expected outcome: Distortion or QA failure is not caused by incorrect positioning.

If correcting positioning resolves the issue, document the positioning error and stop.

Review Sequence and Protocol Scope

Determine whether the artifact or distortion occurs on:

Expected outcome: The issue is narrowed to protocol setup, application behavior, or scanner performance.

If only one modified protocol is affected, compare it to a known-good Siemens or site-approved baseline protocol and escalate to the MRI applications team if needed.

Check SliceAdjust Behavior

If SliceAdjust fails or appears to contribute to distortion, confirm whether the issue occurs repeatedly on the same protocol, same coil, same anatomy, or same patient setup.

Expected outcome: SliceAdjust failure is reproducible or isolated.

If the issue is isolated to one protocol or setup, document the details and escalate to Siemens applications or MRI service if the site cannot safely correct it.

Check for Obvious System Condition Changes

Review whether the scanner recently had:

Expected outcome: Recent service or events are identified as possible contributors.

If the artifact began immediately after service or a power event, escalate to Siemens service with the timeline.

Perform a Controlled Restart Only If Site Policy Allows

If the scanner has no active safety alarms and MRI operations allow it, perform a normal controlled system restart according to site procedure.

Do not perform emergency shutdowns, magnet-related actions, or service-level procedures unless authorized.

Expected outcome: Temporary software or communication-related image issues clear after a normal restart.

If the restart resolves the issue and QA passes, document the action and final status.

Evaluate Final QA and Image Quality Status

After any correction, repeat the appropriate QA or phantom scan and confirm with MRI staff that image quality is acceptable.

Expected outcome: The scanner passes QA and no visible artifact, distortion, or SliceAdjust-related issue remains.

If image quality cannot be verified, do not return the scanner to service.

If the Problem Persists

If common external causes have been ruled out, the issue may involve internal MRI system performance, RF shielding, gradient performance, coil electronics, calibration, SliceAdjust processing, software, or system-level QA parameters.

The MAGNETOM Sola should be removed from clinical use if image quality is unreliable, labeled Out of Service according to site policy, escalated to Siemens MRI service, MRI applications support, or qualified MRI service personnel, and evaluated with service-level diagnostics before being returned to patient scanning.

Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. MRI image quality failures can directly affect diagnostic confidence and should not be treated as minor nuisance errors.

Clinical Use Tip

Do not troubleshoot MRI image artifacts on an active patient unless the patient is safe and the scan can be stopped without clinical risk. Move the patient to a backup scanner or move to phantom testing when image quality is uncertain so therapy continuity and patient care are not dependent on an unresolved scanner issue.

Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)

CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution

Complaint

What was reported by the clinical staff.

Example:
"MRI staff reported repeated image distortion and SliceAdjust-related artifact during MAGNETOM Sola QA and clinical scanning."

Cause

What was observed during troubleshooting.

Example:
"QA phantom setup and coil connections were checked; artifact remained present on repeat phantom testing, suggesting a scanner-level image quality issue."

Resolution

What action was taken.

Example:
"MAGNETOM Sola was removed from service, labeled Out of Service, and escalated to Siemens MRI service for image quality and system evaluation."

Helpful Details to Include (If Known)

Final Thought

MRI image artifact troubleshooting should move from safe, visible, and repeatable checks toward controlled QA confirmation. Patient safety, image reliability, and clear escalation matter more than forcing a scanner back into use. Strong CCR documentation helps Siemens service, MRI staff, and Clinical Engineering understand exactly what was tested and why the scanner was or was not returned to service.

That is successful troubleshooting.

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