MRI Basics

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most commonly used tests in neurology and neurosurgery. MRI provides exquisite detail of brain, spinal cord and vascular anatomy, and has the advantage of being able to visualize anatomy in all three planes: axial, sagittal and coronal (see the example image below). PHYSICS OF MRI MRI is based on the magnetization properties of atomic nuclei. A powerful, uniform, external magnetic field is employed to align the protons that are normally randomly oriented within the water nuclei of the tissue being examined. This alignment (or magnetization) is next perturbed or disrupted by introduction of an external Radio Frequency (RF) energy. The nuclei return to their resting alignment through various relaxation processes and in so doing emit RF energy. After a certain period following the initial RF, the emitted signals are measured. Fourier transformation is used to convert the frequency information contained in the signal from each location in the

"> MRI Basics Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Brain and Spine: Basics Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most commonly used tests in neurology and neurosurgery. MRI provides exquisite detail of brain, spinal cord and vascular anatomy, and has the advantage of being able to visualize anatomy in all three planes: axial, sagittal and coronal (see the example image below). MRI has an advantage over CT in being able to detect flowing blood and cryptic vascular malformations. It can also detect demyelinating disease, and has no beam-hardening artifacts such as can be seen with CT

MRI Basics

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