How they work and what they are used forBy Chris

Roberts

MRI Scans

How they workUnlike standard x-ray examinations and CT scans, MRI

does not work using ionized radiation. Instead, while in the magnet, radio waves change the direction of the axes of spinning protons, from the nuclei of hydrogen atoms.

The magnetic field is created by passing an electric current through wire coils in most MRI units. Other coils, located in the machine and sometimes are placed around the part of the body being imaged, send and receive radio waves, producing signals that are detected by the coils.

A computer then processes the signals and create a series of images, each one showing a thin slice of the body. The images can then be studied from different angles by the radiologist .

What an MRI machine looks like:

What MRIs are used for:

0 organs of the chest and abdomen—including the heart, liver, biliary tract, kidneys, spleen, bowel, pancreas and adrenal glands.

0 pelvic organs including the reproductive organs in the male (prostate and testicles) and the female (uterus, cervix and ovaries).

0 blood vessels (MR Angiography).0 breasts

Preparing for the procedure0 You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to your exam.

You may be given a gown to wear during the procedure.0 Metal objects must be removed before an MRI procedure because

of the magnetism involved.

Bibliography

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodwww.google.com.au/search/mri-CTscan/infowww.health.org/mri/infohttp://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyc

THE ENDBy Chris Roberts