MRI machines sent to Afghanistan in 2011 to help treat troops suffering brain injuries have been pulled out of the war zone as questions have arisen about their effectiveness, USA Today reported.
The hope was that the machines could help doctors see the mild traumatic brain injuries that affected soldiers exposed to roadside bombs. According to senior medical officer of the U.S. Central Command, however, it is unclear whether the machines are helping in the process of treating those injuries.
Doctors stopped using the devices last February, which eight months later were dismantled for spare parts, according to Air Force Col. Mark Mavity, a Central Command surgeon. "The device itself doesn't necessarily help you treat that patient. It just helps you understand the nature of the injury in a little bit more meaningful way," Mavity said. "[It] was deemed not worth the cost and investment to keep those devices in theater." Article