Electromagnetic radiation Electromagnetic radiation can be characterized by any one of three parameters; energy, frequency and wavelength The only electromagnetic radiation that we can sense directly is visible light Light has dual nature: wave as well as particle Visible light extend from approximately 400 nm (blue) to 700 nm (Red) Diagnostic x-rays range from approximately 20 keV to 150 keV The electromagnetic radiation produced by the oscillator is called a radiofrequency RFs extend over range from 3 kHz to 3 GHz Electromagnetic radiation
A resting electric charge radiates an electric field
When the charge is in motion, a magnetic field is generated When moving electric charge slows down (decelerates), a photon of EM radiation is emitted An imaging window is a range within the electromagnetic spectrum used to produce images Electromagnetic radiation The visible window: visible light interacts with matter more like a wave than a particle Diffraction, refraction, reflection and interference are all properties of wavelike interactions. Imaging with visible light occurs by sensing the reflection of light from patient The image of patient is a surface image and an image of interior structures Electromagnetic radiation The X ray window: X rays are produced by changing of KE of fast moving electrons. The energy of photons used for x ray imaging ranges from 20 to 150 keV The MRI window: EM radiation with frequencies of 10 to 200 MHz is used in MRI. This radiation is in the RF portion of the EM spectrum RF is used extensively in communications (TV, radio and microwave) Electromagnetic radiation The AM RF band ranges from 540 to 1640 kHz and the FM RF band ranges from 88 to 108 MHz. TV broadcast ranges from 54 to 806 MHz, which includes both VHF and UHF Magnetic resonance images are made with RF in the range from approximately 10 to 200 MHz For a visible image, radiation is reflected from the body For an x-ray image, radiation is transmitted through the body MR image For an MR image, the patient is stimulated so that electromagnetic radiation is emitted from the body Through the use of some clever methods, the emitted signal is then detected, interpreted and used to produce an image. WHY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING? When the abdomen is imaged with conventional radiographic techniques, the image is created directly on the film image receptor and is low in contrast principally of scatter radiation. The image is also degraded because of superposition of all the anatomic structures in the abdomen. WHY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING?
For better visualization of an abdominal structure, such as
the kidneys, conventional tomography can be used. The contrast of the in-focus structures can be enhanced. Yet, the image is still rather dull and blurred. Contrast Resolution: If such an image is unsatisfactory, what else can be done? A computed tomography can be requested. The principal advantage of CT imaging over radiographic imaging is superior contrast resolution, the ability to image differences among low contrast tissues. Contrast resolution allows visualization of soft tissue with similar characteristics such as liver spleen or white matter gray matter. Contrast Resolution: The spatial resolution of CT image is worse than that of radiographic imaging because it is digital and limited by pixel size. The spatial resolution of MRI is worse than that of radiography. However, the contrast resolution is even better with MRI than with CT. Contrast resolution is the principal advantage of MRI Spatial Resolution Spatial resolution refers to the ability to identify an object, usually a small, dense object like a metal fragment or microcalcification, as separate and distinct from another object. CT has superior contrast resolution because it uses a finely collimated x ray beam, which results in reduced scatter radiation. Basis of X-ray and MR imaging In x- ray imaging, the x-ray attenuation coefficient () determines the differential x-ray absorption in body tissues. In turn, the x-ray attenuation coefficient depends on the energy of x-ray beam and atomic number of tissue being imaged. The basis of MR image is different. It is a function of several intrinsic NMR characteristics of the tissue being imaged. The three most important characteristics are proton density, spin lattice relaxation time T1, and spin - spin relaxation time T2. Secondary characteristics are flow, magnetic susceptibility, paramagnetism and chemical shift. Basis of X-ray and MR imaging There are two principal parameters to select in the production of a radiographic image: kVp and mAs. By careful selecting the kVp and mAs, radiographers can optimize the contrast resolution of an image without compromising the spatial resolution. There are many parameters to select in the production of an MR image. The time sequence of RF -pulses, and gradient magnetic fields determines the contrast resolution. Multiplanar Imaging An additional advantage to MRI is the ability to obtain direct transverse, sagittal, coronal and oblique plane images. Conventional radiographs show superimposed anatomy regardless of the plane of the image. Except for CT images, most x-ray images are parallel to long axis of the body. MRI has excellent sensitivity. MR spectroscopy could provide increased specificity Sensitivity describes how well an imaging system can detect subtle differences in anatomy. Specificity refers to the ability to precisely identify the nature of such differences. MRI does not require ionizing radiation