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| Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
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| It is also called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as it is based on this phenomenon. It is a diagnostic technique that provides high quality cross-sectioned two or three - dimensional images of organs without having X-rays or other radiations. |
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| This technique is based on the Principle that when the hydrogen atoms (of water molecules) are subjected to a very strong magnetic field and radio waves, hydrogen atoms release protons. It was first developed by Felix Bloch and Purcell in USA (1946). They shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1952. |
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| Mechanism |
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| In this, the patient lies down surrounded by massive electromagnets and is exposed to short bursts of powerful magnetic field and waves. These bursts stimulate the protons (hydrogen nuclei) of the patients tissues to emit radio signals which are picked up and converted into digital signals. |
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| These digital signals are fed to a computer to produce images as in CT scan. |
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| MRI can distinguish between water - poor and water - rich tissues. Teeth and bones, which contain little water, donot appear in MRI. Tissues surrounded by bones, like spinal cord are readily observable in MRI. It is used to detect lesions in brain and spinal tissue and joint injuries and slipped disc in spinal column. It can also show cancerous tumerors. |
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| Position of a Patient in Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
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| Advantages of MRI |
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| 1) Provides imaging of disease tissue with superior resolution power and best pictorial form. |
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| 2) Gives information about chemistry, metabolic and bio-chemical data. |
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| 3) Non-invasive. |
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| 4) Not utilising radiations and so with no side effects. |
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| 5) Can study, mostly all body parts as water is present in all tissues. |
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| 6) Procedure takes only 30 minutes. |
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