Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard imaging modality for soft tissues. It produces detail cross-sectional images of soft tissue and bone anatomy, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, brain and organs, without the use of ionizing radiation. In addition to orthopedic imaging, MRI is also used for heart, brain and breast. MRI uses gadolinium contrast in many exams to highlight tissues and blood vessels, which enhances images and offers better diagnostic quality. It can also be used in conjunction with PET scans. How does MRI work? MR creates images by using powerful magnets to polarize hydrogen atoms in water (the body is made of of more than 80% water) so they face in one direction. A radiofrequency pulse is then used to ping these atoms, causing them to wobble, or resonate. The MRI coils detect this and computers can assemble images from the signals. Basic MRI scans will focus on the resonance of fat and water in two different sequences, which highlight and contrast different features in the anatomy.

New guidelines recommend imaging asymptomatic siblings of physical abuse victims

Nearly 30 experts, including nine pediatric radiologists and seven neurorads, collaborated to create the consensus statement.

March 7, 2023
Concussion brain

Providers still routinely using unnecessary imaging to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury

There is little value in deploying CT, MRI or X-ray to diagnose mTBI, experts note, and it may instead result in harm and excess costs.

March 3, 2023

Insights into early MRI-termination risk factors offer helpful strategies for prevention

Even a small number of early terminations can be costly, in addition to creating negative experiences for patients, experts wrote in the European Journal of Radiology. 

February 27, 2023

MRI catches CT in head-to-head lung imaging

When it comes to assessing patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, contrast-enhanced CT pulmonary angiography has no diagnostic edge over a certain free-breathing, unenhanced MRI perfusion protocol.

February 24, 2023

Fatal accident calls MRI safety standards into question—are more regulations needed?

There are a number of well-intended recommendations for preventing MRI injuries, but many of them stop short of implementing safety requirements.

February 24, 2023

COVID in pregnant women manifests by variant in developing offspring: MRI study

Prenatal MRI is adept at revealing potentially damaging placental lesions affecting fetuses whose mothers were infected with COVID-19 while carrying.

January 31, 2023

Q4 and full-year 2022 results in for GE HealthCare

GE HealthCare has some favorable tailwinds at its back as it proceeds into its first year unattached to a certain venerable parent corporation. 

January 31, 2023

Deep learning slashes real-world MRI scan times

Accelerated MRI with AI image reconstruction nearly halved orthopedic scan times while maintaining or even improving image quality in a newly published prospective study. 

January 18, 2023

Around the web

"This was an unneeded burden, which was solely adding to the administrative hassles of medicine," said American Society of Nuclear Cardiology President Larry Phillips.

SCAI and four other major healthcare organizations signed a joint letter in support of intravascular ultrasound. 

The newly approved AI models are designed to improve the detection of pulmonary embolisms and strokes in patients who undergo CT scans.

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