2018-BM-85

AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

Assignment 2
MRI MACHINE (Magnetic resonance imaging )
INTRODUCTION
The spinning atom effect is known as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). It was first observed
during the late 1930s, but medical applications were not found for the NMR technique until the
1970s. It was renamed MRI because ‘nuclear’ was off-putting for patients.
In 1973, Paul Lauterbur showed NMR could produce images. He varied the strength of the
magnetic field, which varied the signals from different atoms from which he could build a
picture. British scientist Peter Mansfield developed the mathematical processes that turned
MRI into a useful rapid imaging technique. Lauterbur and Mansfield were awarded the Nobel
Prize in Medicine in 2003.
Another MRI pioneer was American doctor and scientist Raymond Damadian. In 1971 he
discovered that MRI could be used for medical diagnosis. Cancer tumours emitted different
signals compared to healthy tissue. Damadian built the first whole-body MRI scanner in 1977,
which he called the ‘Indomitable’.
It is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images
of the inside of the body.
An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. You lie inside the tube during
the scan.
An MRI scan can be used to examine almost any part of the body, including the:

 Brain and spinal cord

 Bones and joints
 Breasts
 Heart and blood vessels
 Internal organs, such as the liver, womb or prostate gland
The results of an MRI scan can be used to help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess
how effective previous treatment has been.
Read a guide to NHS waiting times.
 2018-BM-85
AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

Safety
An MRI scan is a painless and safe procedure. You may find it uncomfortable if you
have Claustrophobia , but most people find this manageable with support from the
radiographer. Going into the scanner feet first may be easier, although this is not always
possible.
MRI scans don't involve exposing the body to X-ray radiation . This means people who may be
particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation, such as pregnant women and babies, can use
them if necessary.
However, not everyone can have an MRI scan. For example, they're not always possible for
people who have certain types of implants fitted, such as a pacemaker (a battery-operated
device that helps to control an irregular heartbeat ).
Extensive research has been carried out into whether the magnetic fields and radio waves used
during MRI scans could pose a risk to the human body. No evidence has been found to suggest
there's a risk, which means MRI scans are one of the safest medical procedures currently
available.
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AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

WORKING PRINCIPAL
The human body is mostly water. Water molecules (H2O) contain hydrogen nuclei (protons),
which become aligned in a magnetic field. An MRI scanner applies a very strong magnetic field
(about 0.2 to 3 teslas, or roughly a thousand times the strength of a typical fridge magnet),
which aligns the proton "spins."
The scanner also produces a radio frequency current that creates a varying magnetic field. The
protons absorb the energy from the magnetic field and flip their spins. When the field is turned
off, the protons gradually return to their normal spin, a process called precession. The return
process produces a radio signal that can be measured by receivers in the scanner and made
into an image.
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AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

USES OF MRI
An MRI scan can be used as an extremely accurate method of disease detection throughout the
body and is most often used after the other testing fails to provide sufficient information to
confirm a patient's diagnosis. In the head, trauma to the brain can be seen as bleeding or
swelling. Other abnormalities often found include brain aneurysms, stroke, tumors of the brain,
as well as tumors or inflammation of the spine.

Neurosurgeons use an MRI scan not only in defining brain anatomy, but also in evaluating the
integrity of the spinal cord after trauma. It is also used when considering problems associated
with the vertebrae or inter vertebral discs of the spine. An MRI scan can evaluate the structure
of the heart and aorta, where it can detect aneurysms or tears. MRI scans are not the first line
of imaging test for these issues or in cases of trauma.

It provides valuable information on glands and organs within the abdomen, and accurate
information about the structure of the joints, soft tissues, and bones of the body. Often, surgery
can be deferred or more accurately directed after knowing the results of an MRI scan.
 2018-BM-85
AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF MRI

The block diagram of a typical MRI system with the components, pulse sequence and image
display highlighted. When an animal, human or tissue sample is placed in a magnetic field (B 0 ),
the magnetic moment of the protons in the nucleus of the hydrogen atoms of the water precess
at a frequency dependent upon the strength of the magnetic field, f 0 = γ β 0 /2 π where γ /2 π
= 42.57 MHz/Tesla for hydrogen; f 0 for protons is typically in the range of 50–500 MHz. The
magnetic moments align in a direction parallel to the main field establishing a net
magnetization in the tissue wa - ter. A radio frequency (RF) coil produces a B 1 field that changes
the direction of the magnetization in a manner prescribed by the pulse sequence (for example,
90° and 180°). Following the RF pulses, the radio frequency coil detects the return of the
magnetization to thermal equilibrium. Spatial localization is generated with the use of the
gradient coils ( G x , G y , G z ). Variation of the repetition time (TR) and the echo time (TE) in the
MR pulse sequence provides the basis for different contrast mechanisms. For example, a long
TR and a short TE will produce a T 1 weighted image based on the MR properties of the imaged
sample. Other conditions can generate T 2 , proton density or diffusion weighted images. The
MR signal is acquired as a complex quantity (magnitude and phase). The magnitude is sufficient
to depict anatomical features, measure tissue relaxation times or estimate the apparent water
diffusion coefficient, while the phase can be used to measure blood flow, tissue temperature
and tissue stiffness. 
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AISHA JAMALI
SECTION: B

ADVANTAGE OF MRI MACHINE

MRI provides information that differs from other imaging modalities. Its major technological
advantage is that it can characterize and discriminate among tissues using their physical and
biochemical properties (water, iron, fat, and extravascular blood and its breakdown products).
Blood flow, cerebrospinal fluid flow, and contraction and relaxation of organs, both physiologic
and pathologic, can be evaluated. Because calcium emits no signal on spin echo images, tissues
surrounded by bone, such as the contents of the posterior fossa and the spine, can be imaged,
and beam hardening artifacts are avoided. MRI produces sectional images of equivalent
resolution in any projection without moving the patient. The ability to obtain images in multiple
planes adds to its versatility and diagnostic utility and offers special advantages for radiation
and/or surgical treatment planning. Excellent delineation of anatomic structures results from
inherent high levels of contrast resolution.
MRI acquisitions can be programmed to encode for various physiological phenomena including
velocity of moving tissue or blood, diffusion of water (useful in detecting stroke)
MR image acquisition does not use ionizing radiation.
Because it requires little patient preparation and is noninvasive, patient acceptability is high.
MRI contrast agents are very well tolerated and are much less likely than x-ray contrast agents
to cause allergic reactions or alter kidney function.

DIS ADVANTAGES OF MRI MACHINE

Because of the small bore of the magnet, some patients experience claustrophobia and have
difficulty in cooperating during the study. Some obese patients cannot be examined.
Some patients, particularly acutely ill patients, cannot cooperate and movement artifacts may
result.
Patient throughput is slow compared with other imaging modalities.
Patients with pacemakers and certain ferromagnetic appliances cannot be studied.
MRI units require careful siting and shielding.
Greater technological expertise is required for utilization of MRI than for most other imaging
modalities.
MRI equipment is expensive to purchase, maintain, and operate.