MRI: An Advancement in Technology

One of the most recently new advances in radiology is the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI has been around for the past century. It was at first called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and then it changed to MRI once there was an available image. Walter Gerlach and Otto Stern were the first scientists to start experimenting with the magnetic imaging. Their very first experiment was looking at the magnetic moments of silver by using some type of x-ray beam. The scientists then discovered this was by realizing that the magnetic force in the equipment and in the object itself. In 1975, the first image was finally created using and MRI machine. The scientists used a Fourier Transformation machine to reconstruct images into 2D. The first images ever use diagnostically was in 1980. This is when hospitals began to use them. At first the images took hours to develop and were only used on the patients that needed it most. Even though MRI has been around for a long time, it has advanced and has been one of the best imaging modalities recently (Geva, 2006).
One of the main reasons that MRI works is because of the patient themselves. Water is 80% of what our bodies are made up of. An MRI machine uses the water molecules in the body to create an image. The MRI uses water molecules to move in different direction which creates some type of electrical current. By moving the water molecules the technologist can distinguish which way they want the image to lay. An MRI machine mainly is used for soft tissue, organs, ligaments, and spinal cords. The MRI machine is a giant magnet. The magnet is made up of different forces and strengths. There is another giant magnet that creates some type of electrical current around the patient lying in ...

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...s operated by a magnet there will be a lot of artifact because of the metal being inside the patient. There has also been a discovery of the contrast used in certain MRI exams can cause severe kidney damage. This is a rare effect and only happens to about five percent of patients that receive an MRI ("About mri scans," 2014).
All in all, MRI is a great imaging modality to properly diagnose a patient. MRI has many advantages and does not use any type of radiation. Even though MRI has been around for about a century it has gained a lot of advancement in the image quality. MRI allows a wide variety of anatomy to be imaged such as soft tissue, spine work, and organs. Like any imaging modality MRI does have a couple of disadvantages, but the advantages out way the risks. MRI will continue to improve and will be one of the best imaging modalities in the medical field.