Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard imaging modality for soft tissues. It produces detail cross-sectional images of soft tissue and bone anatomy, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, brain and organs, without the use of ionizing radiation. In addition to orthopedic imaging, MRI is also used for heart, brain and breast. MRI uses gadolinium contrast in many exams to highlight tissues and blood vessels, which enhances images and offers better diagnostic quality. It can also be used in conjunction with PET scans. How does MRI work? MR creates images by using powerful magnets to polarize hydrogen atoms in water (the body is made of of more than 80% water) so they face in one direction. A radiofrequency pulse is then used to ping these atoms, causing them to wobble, or resonate. The MRI coils detect this and computers can assemble images from the signals. Basic MRI scans will focus on the resonance of fat and water in two different sequences, which highlight and contrast different features in the anatomy.

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Audit finds CMS overpaid hospitals as much as $25.8M for IMRT planning services

Medicare overpaid hospitals as much as $25.8 million for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning services, according to an audit conducted by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of HHS.

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Dual MRI, PET help catch osteoarthritis early

Stanford researchers are redefining the effort to catch osteoarthritis early with a combination of MRI and PET imaging, opening the field up to more noninvasive options for evaluating bone health, according to a study published online in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.

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Oregon researchers map ‘functional fingerprint’ with 2.5 minutes of MRI data

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University are using MRI to map patients’ “functional fingerprints,” or the connectomes that make their brains unique, Wired reported this week.

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Facebook, NYU collaborate on using AI to speed up MRIs

Facebook and the department of radiology at NYU School of Medicine in New York City have announced a new collaboration that will focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) to make MRI scans up to 10 times faster.

UK hospital estimates it spent $3M a year renting vital MRI equipment

The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust in England announced this week it had been spending between £2 million and £2.5 million—up to $3.2 million in U.S. dollars—each year to rent MRI scanning equipment from a private company, according to the Northern Echo.

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Out of sight, out of mind: MRI helps doctors find missing contact lens after 28 years

When a woman presented with upper eyelid swelling and ptosis, doctors ordered a MRI to get a better look. The MRI revealed a cyst, and when that cyst was surgically removed, a rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens that had been missing for 28 years was found inside.

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Longer pelvic PET acquisition times during PET/MRI increase lymph node detection rates

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that longer pelvic PET acquisition times during PET/MRI can improve the quality of care for patients with rectal cancer.

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How MRI, imaging contribute to the growth of depression research

Analysis of major depressive disorder (MDD) has proven difficult in a climate where more and more patients are being diagnosed with the condition. But according to research out of China, MRI and its related modalities are doing a lot to help scientists understand the pathology behind MDD.

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