Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In 1944, Isidor Isaac Rabi was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for

his resonance method for recording the magnetic properties of atomic

nuclei. This method was based on measuring the spin of the protons in

the atom's core, a phenomenon known as nuclear magnetic moments. From

Rabi's work, Paul C. Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield were able to

research into magnetic resonance imaging (also known as nuclear

magnetic resonance, NMR) and were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine

in 2003.

Lauterbur, a professor and director of the Biomedical Magnetic

Resonance Laboratory at the University of Illinois, realised that it

was to possible to create an 'internal picture' of an object by NMR

and had his ideas witnessed by a colleague. These ideas were based on

the use of a magnetic field gradient - a magnetic field that varies

through space.

Mansfield, a professor of physics at the University of Nottingham had

no knowledge of Lauterbur's work and had an idea of how he might get

an NMR picture of a crystal, similar to an X-ray signal crystal

structure. With continual pioneering work with his colleagues, he was

able to produce the first picture from a live human subject in 1976

with true anatomical detail. He continued to be a pioneer in the

field, developing better imaging methods for larger body parts and

also for imaging well past the sub-cellular level, all using the idea

of NMR.

How does MRI work?

To investigate this, I intend to give an account on the basic physics

of MRI and then explain the significance of the phenomenon to today's

society. The areas I will research and address are:

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...h the other sources that describe the work of both

Mansfield, Lauterbur and others in MRI.

Physics Review - "Aiming further"

Philip Allan

This is a review written by a well-known author and is expected to be

as reliable as can be.

http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~stella/papers/blairthesis/main/node11.html

Blair Mackiewich

Few spelling mistakes present but all the MRI physics and ideas are

consistent with the books and other reliable sources

http://www.erads.com/mrimod.htm

Margaret M. King

A lot of information on the basics of MRI and also its history. No

conflicts are present with any sources.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm

Todd A Gould

The website is well known as a source for learning how virtually

anything works. The detailed information about MRI agrees with other

sources.