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.

Scientist indicted for trying to send MRI part to Iran sees charges dropped

Federal prosecutors have dismissed an indictment against Mohamad Reza Nazemzadeh, a scientist who tried to purchase and send a coil for an MRI scanner to Iran in 2011 without first acquiring a license from the government. 

Businessman donates $3 million to Canadian hospital for MRI equipment

David Kampe, a local businessman, has said he is donating $3 million to Penticton Regional Hospital in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, to help the hospital purchase a new MRI machine. 

Researchers to use Toshiba MRI system to study football-related brain injuries

Researchers from the University of California Irvine are teaming up with Toshiba America Medical Systems to conduct a study investigating the presence of cerebral microbleeds in football players at the high-school level as a potential precursor for CTE.

Toshiba MRI System Tapped for Landmark UCI Study on Cerebral Microbleeds in High School Football Players

TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) stands in the national spotlight for high impact sports, the University of California, Irvine has partnered with Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. for a first-of-its-kind study of cerebral microbleeds (CMB) in high school football players as a potential precursor to CTE. The study will utilize Toshiba’s Vantage TitanTM 3T MR system as the key diagnostic tool, taking advantage of its non-invasive capabilities.

AMRA announces new marketing agreement with GE Healthcare

AMRA, a global medical technology company based out of Linköping, Sweden, has entered into a new marketing agreement with GE Healthcare, the company announced at this week’s European Congress of Radiology in Vienna, Austria. 

MRI use connected to rising gadolinium levels in San Francisco Bay

Numerous studies have shown evidence of gadolinium (Gd) retention in the brains of contrast MRI patients. Now, Gd is showing up in the San Francisco Bay, particularly in an area immediately surrounded by hospitals and other facilities that use Gd-based contrast agents. 

Learning more about dyslexia through MRI

A recent article from The Boston Globe examined how doctors are using MRIs to learn more about dyslexia. 

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Cheers! Retired developer of MRI scanners enters whiskey business

Dave Molyneaux retired after a long, fruitful career as a developer of MRI accessories, but he quickly grew bored with the quiet life. That’s when he decided to enter a new industry altogether: the whiskey business. 

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.