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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Researchers develop rice-sized ‘seed’ that destroys deadly brain tumors with the help of MRI

A magnetic metal “seed,” no larger than a grain of rice and developed by scientists at University College London, has the ability to rapidly kill cancer cells and destroy deadly tumors within 10 minutes, the Telegraph reported this week.

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India debuts its first-ever portable MRI scanner

Voxelgrids, an offshoot of India’s Tata Trusts Foundation for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, announced June 7 its latest development: a lightweight, portable MRI scanner that could cut imaging costs in half across the country. 

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MRI-compatible tech allows for imaging without contrast agents

MRI-compatible technology out of Purdue University has the ability to detect and monitor cerebral vascular disorders and injuries without the use of potentially harmful contrast agents, the university announced this week.

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fMRI research reveals how toddlers form memories

Research out of the University of California, Davis is offering insight into how toddlers form memories, marking the first study of its kind to shed light on how specific brain regions are activated during memory recall in 2-year-olds.

Philips gains FDA clearance for 3T MR solution, 2 applications

Royal Philips announced Tuesday, June 5, that its Ingenia Elition 3.0T MR solution and two clinical applications, Philips Compressed SENSE and 3D APT, have received FDA approval.

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Insights from 2016 Olympics: MRI study finds track and field athletes most likely to injure pelvis

Physicians performed 869 radiological exams in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the 2016 Summer Olympics, finding track and field athletes were the most prone to pelvic muscle injuries of any Olympians, researchers have reported in the European Journal of Radiology. 

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MRI study finds businessmen bond with companies like fathers bond with children

Businessmen bond with their ventures the same way parents bond with their kids, Forbes reports—and that can have both positive and negative implications for those men.

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fMRI finds kids are best stimulated by traditional storybooks—not audio or animation

When it comes time for a bedtime story, 3- to 5-year-olds benefit most from traditional picture books and less from audio-only or animated alternatives, NPR has reported.

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.