Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a technique that uses a magnet to produce high quality images of the soft tissues inside the human body. Using a large magnet, radio waves and computers, MRI can create high quality images of the brain, spine, joints, muscles, abdomen, breast, heart and blood vessels. MRI exams are safe, painless and are used to diagnose many types of conditions.
How does it work?
MRI uses the radio-frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The body is primarily
made up of water and fat, which has many hydrogen nuclei. Hydrogen nuclei have
properties that when placed within a magnetic field will align themselves in the
same direction and spin when a radio frequency wave is introduced. This spin creates
heat, which is released from the spinning nuclei and collected by the scanner
to produce an image through specialized computer processing.
