Basic principles of MRI This lecture was taken from Simply Physics
Introduction
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique used primarily in medical settings to produce high quality images of the soft tissues of the human body. It is based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a spectroscopic technique to obtain microscopic chemical and physical information about molecules MRI has advanced beyond a tomographic imaging technique to a volume imaging technique
Tomographic Imaging
Started out as a tomographic imaging modality for producing NMR images of a slice though the human body. Each slice is composed of several volume elements or voxels. The volume of a voxel is 3 mm3.
The computer image is composed of several picture elements called pixels. The intensity of each pixel is proportional to the NMR signal intensity.
Microscopic Principles
The composition of the human body is primarily fat and water Fat and water have many hydrogen atoms 63% of human body is hydrogen atoms Hydrogen nuclei have an NMR signal MRI uses hydrogen because it has only one proton and it aligns easily with the MRI magnet. The hydrogen atoms proton, possesses a property called spin
1. 2.
A small magnetic field Will cause the nucleus to produce an NMR signal
Magnetic Principles
The spinning hydrogen protons act like small , weak magnets. They align with an external magnetic field (B). There is a slight excess of protons aligned with the field. (for 2 million , 9 excess) ~6 million billion/voxel at 1.5T The # of protons that align with the field is so very large that we can pretty much ignore quantum mechanics and focus on classical mechanics.
More Principles
Now if an electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) pulse is applied at the resonance (Larmor, precession, wobble) frequency, then the protons can absorb that energy, and (at the quantum level) jump to a higher energy state. At the macro level, the magnetization vector, M, (6 million billion protons) spirals down towards the XY plane.
Electromagnetism
Once Mz (a magnetization vector) has been tipped away from the Z axis, the vector will continue to precess around the external B field at the resonance frequency w. A rotating magnetic field produces electromagnetic radiation. Since w is in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum the rotating vector is said to give off RF waves.
Magnetization
The RF emission is the net result of the Z component (Mz) of the magnetization recovering back to M The time course whereby the system returns to thermal equilibrium, or Mz grows to M, is mathematically described by an exponential curve. This recovery rate is characterized by the time constant T1, which is unique to every tissue. This uniqueness in Mz recovery rates is what enables MRI to differentiate between different types of tissue.
Imaging Hardware
Hardware Overview Magnet Gradient Coils RF Coils Safety
Clinical Images
Knee Spine Brain
The End
This lecture was taken from the web site Simply Physics Click here to link to this site
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The Magnet
The most expensive component of the imaging system. Most magnets are of the superconducting type. This is a picture of a 1.5 Tesla A superconducting magnet is an electromagnet made of superconducting wire. Superconducting wire has a resistance close to zero when it is cooled to a zero temperature (-273.15o C or 0 K, by emersion in liquid helium). Once current flows in the coil, it will continue to flow as long as the coil is kept at liquid helium temperatures.
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Gradient Coils
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RF Coils
R F Coils contd
RF coils create the B1 field which rotates the net magnetization in a pulse sequence. RF coils can be divided into three general categories 1) transmit and receive coils 2) receive only coils 3) transmit only coils
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Safety
The patient's arm was against the wall of a body coil being operated in a transmit mode with a surface coil as the receiver. The burn first appeared as a simple blister and progressed to a charring that had to be surgically removed.
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Knee
Coronal
Sagittal
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Brain MRI
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