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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MRI study reveals never-before-seen changes in the brain during pregnancy

While prior imaging studies have compared changes that occur in the brain before pregnancy and after childbirth, this latest analysis is the first to span multiple time points during the full gestational period.

Cardiac PET on the rise among U.S. cardiologists

SPECT is still the most common modality used to evaluate CAD patients, but cardiac PET is gaining more and more momentum.

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Polaris Dawn astronauts will undergo brain MRIs upon landing

The scans will be conducted earlier than any other post-flight imaging of astronauts on record. 

MRI accident prompts questions on safety

Yet another MRI 'freak accident' is making headlines months after it took place

When it happened, news of the incident did not circulate, and whether it was reported to any governing body remains unclear.

MRI image of a fetus inside the mother on an MRI scan to assess brain development. Image courtesy of RSNA.

Fetal MRI safe on 3T scanners, new analysis shows

MRI exams are crucial for investigating fetal abnormalities, but past concerns have been expressed about whether the modality could affect intrauterine growth. 

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MRI study questions links between autism and brain connectivity

Prior studies have hypothesized that reduced functional connectivity in the amygdala was more common among people on the spectrum.

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Some people may be predisposed to depression, MRI study shows

Specific brain connectivity patterns evident during childhood might make people more vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders.

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Both diabetes and prediabetes accelerate brain aging, MRI analysis shows

The less control a person has over their diabetes, the greater the difference between chronological age and estimated brain age based on MRI markers, according to the study. 

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Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Global shortage of nuclear imaging isotopes may be over

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.

Cardiovascular Business
‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

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.

Cardiovascular Business
FDA clears AI tool that flags signs of heart disease in chest CT scans

The newly cleared offering, AutoChamber, was designed with opportunistic screening in mind. It can evaluate many different kinds of CT images, including those originally gathered to screen patients for lung cancer. 

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