Your exam will last between 30 and 60 minutes. You will need to lie still for periods of 3 to 10 minutes at a time while the series of images are collected. You can breathe freely during this time. You may, in some cases, be allowed to move slightly between   more »

Today there is information and images about: 1. The MRI Exam 2. Screening 3. The Imager   more »

The future of MRI seems limited only by our imagination. This technology is still in its infancy, comparatively speaking. It has been in widespread use for less than 20 years (compared with   more »

Although MRI scans are ideal for diagnosing and evaluating a number of conditions, it does have drawbacks. For example: Ø There are many people who cannot safely be scanned with   more »

The fact that MRI systems do not use ionizing radiation is a comfort to many patients, as is the fact that MRI contrast materials have a very low incidence of side effects. Another major advantage of MRI is its ability to image in any plane. CT is   more »

Most imaging modalities use injectable contrast, or dyes, for certain procedures. MRI is no different. What is different is the type of contrast we use,   more »

The human body is made up of untold billions of atoms, the fundamental building blocks of all matter. The nucleus of an atom spins, or precesses, on an axis. You can think of the nucleus of an atom   more »

The human body is made up of untold billions of atoms, the fundamental building blocks of all matter. The nucleus of an atom spins, or precesses, on an axis. You can think of the nucleus   more »

A very uniform, or homogeneous, magnetic field of incredible strength and stability is critical for high-quality imaging. It forms the main magnetic field. Magnets like those described above make this   more »

Resistive magnets consist of many windings or coils of wire wrapped around a cylinder or bore   more »

Prior to allowing a patient or support staff member into the scan room, he or she is thoroughly screened for metal objects. Up to this point, we have only talked about external   more »

To understand how MRI works, let's start by focusing on the "magnetic" in MRI. The biggest and most important component in an MRI system is the magnet. The magnet in an MRI system   more »

If you have ever seen an MRI machine, you know that the basic design used in most is a giant cube. The cube in a typical system might be 7 feet tall by 7 feet wide by 10 feet long (2 m by 2 m by 3 m), although new models are rapidly shrinking. There is a horizontal tube running through the   more »

On July 3, 1977, an event took place that would forever alter the landscape of modern medicine. Outside the medical research community, this event made scarcely a ripple at first. This event was the first MRI exam ever performed on   more »

MRI scans are used for diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis, tracking changes over time, and helping to determine treatment effectiveness.   more »