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.

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AI IDs lung tumors from MRI scans better than other methods

A new AI algorithm developed by researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, can identify lung tumors from MRI scans faster than other advanced methods.

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Breast imaging referrers ordering more MRI scans following legislation

At an academic health system in Boston, referring physicians have been ordering more breast MRI scans since Massachusetts mandated that mammographers inform patients in writing of their breast density.

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What resting-state fMRI tells us about how LSD affects the brain

Researchers have used resting-state fMRI data to show how LSD alters various connections within the brain, sharing their findings in PNAS.

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MRI an effective first step for imaging young patients with suspected acute appendicitis

MRI provides value as an initial imaging technique for pediatric patients with suspected acute appendicitis, according to a new study published in Radiology.

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Providers need consensus guidelines for follow-up imaging after benign MRI-guided breast biopsies

More consistent follow-up protocols after benign concordant MRI-guided percutaneous core needle biopsies (MR-PCNBs) could lead to better overall patient care, according to a case study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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A Brooklyn EMR Grows Toward Its Full Potential

Sponsored by FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas

Like every American academic healthcare institution, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., is a beehive of activity in three overlapping yet distinct areas of focus—patient care, physician education and medical research. 

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McGill University receives Canada's first whole-body 7T MRI scanner

The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital—also known as The Neuro—of McGill University in Montreal, Québec, Canada, has installed the country’s first whole-body 7-Tesla MRI scanner.

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How to improve prostate cancer detection during MRI-targeted transrectal US biopsies

Researchers have determined that increasing the number of core biopsy samples obtained using MRI-targeted transrectal ultrasound biopsy can lead to the detection of more clinically significant prostate cancers.

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The all-in-one Omni Legend PET/CT scanner is now being manufactured in a new production facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin.