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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Study: Gadolinium safe to use for MR arthrography

Intraarticular gadolinium administration for MR arthrography leaves no detectable gadolinium deposition in the brain, according to research published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

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Patients who undergo prostate MRI for low-risk prostate cancer more likely to receive observation

Patients who undergo prostate MRI in the time surrounding a prostate cancer diagnosis are much more likely to receive observation, according to a new study published in Urology.

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MRI-guided focal HDR-BT has low toxicity rates, little negative impact on quality of life

MRI-guided focal high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) presents low toxicity rates and maintains quality of life when used to treat prostate cancer, according to new research published in Radiotherapy and Oncology.

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Researchers use fMRI to study how dehydration affects the brain

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta have used fMRI to examine what happens to a person’s brain when it is dehydrated, sharing their findings in a new study published by Physiological Reports.

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Iron-based MRI contrast agent outperforms gadolinium

Neuroscientists have found a way to embed iron into nanoparticles to create an MRI contrast agent that outperforms gadolinium, sharing their research in ACS Nano.

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How a Stanford professor is making the MRI suite kid-friendly

A Stanford University initiative to make MRI equipment more child-friendly has led to the development of smaller, more lightweight coils that could have positive implications for patients both young and old, according to a recent Q&A.

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Audit finds CMS overpaid hospitals as much as $25.8M for IMRT planning services

Medicare overpaid hospitals as much as $25.8 million for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning services, according to an audit conducted by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of HHS.

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Dual MRI, PET help catch osteoarthritis early

Stanford researchers are redefining the effort to catch osteoarthritis early with a combination of MRI and PET imaging, opening the field up to more noninvasive options for evaluating bone health, according to a study published online in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.

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.