MAGNETIC RESONANSE IMAGING

CUSROW WADIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

PUNE: - 01

PROJECT WORK & SEMINAR

REPORT

Magnetic Resonance Imagining

(DEC 2012 MAY 2013)
Presented by:-

Patil Vaibhav Ravindra

(103043)

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CUSROW WADIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,

PUNE-01

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that,
Sr
No
1

Name

Roll No.

PATIL VAIBHAV RAVINDRA

103043

This certify that the following student have satisfactorily completed their term
work in the subject Project work and seminar as detailed in the Hospital Ruby
Hall Clinic , Pune during the period from Dec 2012- May 2013.

Date: - /

Staff Member: -

Head of Dept.

PREFACE

Data collection for seminar on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Hospital

Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune was carried out by the student Vaibhav R. Patil during Feb 2013.
This visit was conducted to seek opportunities to improve the practical knowledge of the
student by having individual visit in the company or any organisation related to subject.
Student got knowledge about working of the MRI scanner.

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The report accounts for the MRI scanner and facilities based on actual
survey and detailed analysis during the visit. The report is based on certain generalizations
and approximations wherever necessary. The views expressed may reflect the general
opinion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am immensely glad to represent this seminar report entitled,
Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Guide Prof.
Mrs. Mankar K. G. Head Of Electrical Department for being an effective
inspiration.

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I am also thankful to all my staff and my friends who directly and

indirectly helped me to complete my seminar work.

-Project and Seminar

Patil Vaibhav Ravindra
(103043)

INDEX

S. No.
1.

TITLE
Abstract, Introduction

PAGE NO.
6

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2.

History of MRI

3.

Main Components of MRI

4.

MRI Scanner overview

5.

Working Principle

10

6.

Magnetic Field

11

7.

The Procedure for MRI scanning

12

8.

Technology Behind the MRI

13

9.

MRI versus CT scanning

16

10
.
11.

Safety &Advantages for MRI

17

Limitation and Distortion

18

12
.
13
.

Future Merit

19

Reference

20

ABSTRACT:Biomedical Engineers are developing new and Improved MRI machines that
scan faster and safer than past Ones by advancing old technologies. The introduction of

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging several years ago has a tremendous effect on our society today.
This procedure enables physicians to diagnose and possibly cure several diseases which could
otherwise prove to be fatal. As for anything in our society, there are some people who will
criticize and find the negative points to it, however the positive impact that MRI scanning has
on our society definitely outweigh any negatives.

INTRODUCTION:MRI machines are mainly used for the diagnosis of several diseases/problems by
examining blood vessels in several parts of the body (ex: brain, back, heart, etc.). The MRI
machine does not use the common form of radiation to produce the scans; instead it uses a
mix of magnetic and radio frequency waves. The purpose of an MRI is not to see bone;
rather, it is used to scan tissues within a person. By doing this, doctors can detect potentially
dangerous things from a clearer image of the body segments. However, there are several
problems with these scans, including the inability of persons with metal implants to use it, the
amount of time the patient needs to be in it, and the size of the machine. Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), or magnetic resonance
tomography (MRT) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize internal
structures of the body in detail. MRI makes use of the property of nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) to image nuclei of atoms inside the body.
An MRI scanner is a device in which the patient lies within a large, powerful
magnet where the magnetic field is used to align the magnetization of some atomic nuclei in
the body, and radio frequency magnetic fields are applied to systematically alter the
alignment of this magnetization. This causes the nuclei to produce a rotating magnetic field
detectable by the scannerand this information is recorded to construct an image of the
scanned area of the body. Magnetic field gradients cause nuclei at different locations to
process at different speeds, which allows spatial information to be recovered using Fourier
analysis of the measured signal. By using gradients in different directions, 2D images or 3D
volumes can be obtained in any arbitrary orientation.
MRI provides good contrast between the different soft tissues of the body, which
makes it especially useful in imaging the brain, muscles, the heart, and cancers compared
with other medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) or X-rays. Unlike
CT scans or traditional X-rays, MRI does not use ionizing radiation.

HISTORY:-

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In 1952, Herman Carr produced a one-dimensional MRI image as reported in his

Harvard PhD thesis. In the Soviet Union, Vladislav Ivanov filed (in 1960) a document with
the USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discovery at Leningrad for a Magnetic
Resonance Imaging device, although this was not approved until the 1970s.
In a 1971 paper in the journal Science, Raymond Damadian, an ArmenianAmerican physician, scientist, and professor at the Downstate Medical Centre State
University of New York (SUNY), reported that tumours and normal tissue can be
distinguished in vivo by nuclear magnetic resonance ("NMR"). He suggested that these
differences could be used to diagnose cancer, though later research would find that these
differences, while real, are too variable for diagnostic purposes. Damadian's initial methods
were flawed for practical use, relying on a point-by-point scan of the entire body and using
relaxation rates, which turned out not to be an effective indicator of cancerous tissue. While
researching the analytical properties of magnetic resonance, Damadian created the world's
first magnetic resonance imaging machine in 1972. He filed the first patent for an MRI
machine, U.S. patent #3,789,832 on March 17, 1972, which was later issued to him on
February 5, 1974.
The National Science Foundation notes, "The patent included the idea of using
NMR to 'scan' the human body to locate cancerous tissue. However, it did not describe a
method for generating pictures from such a scan or precisely how such a scan might be
done. Meanwhile, Paul Lauterbur expanded on Carr's technique and developed a way to
generate the first MRI images, in 2D and 3D, using gradients. In 1973, Lautenberg published
the first nuclear magnetic resonance image and the first cross-sectional image of a living
mouse in January 1974. In the late 1970's, Peter Mansfield, a physicist and professor at
the University of Nottingham, England, developed a mathematical technique that would
allow scans to take seconds rather than hours and produce clearer images than Lauterbur had.
Damadian, along with Larry Mink off and Michael Goldsmith, performed the first MRI body
scan of a human being on July 3, 1977, studies which they published in 1977. and in 1979
Richard S. Likes filed patent 4,307,343.
In 1980 Paul Bottomley joined the GE Research Center in Schenectady NY, and
his team ordered the highest field-strength magnet then available a 1.5T system and
built the first high-field and overcame problems of coil design, RF penetration and signal-tonoise, to build the first whole-body MRI/MRS scanner. The results translated into the highly
successful 1.5T MRI product-line, with over 20,000 systems in use today. Bottomley
performed the first localized MRS in human heart and brain. After starting a collaboration on
heart applications with Robert Weiss at Johns Hopkins, Bottomley returned to the university
in 1994, as Russell Morgan Professor and Director of the MR Research Division. Although
MRI is most commonly performed at 1.5T, higher fields such as 3T are gaining more
popularity because of their increased sensitivity and resolution. In research laboratories,
human studies have been performed at up to 9.4T and animal studies have been performed at
up to 21.

MAIN COMPONENTS OF MRI SYSTEM:MRI system consists of:

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Radio Frequency (RF) Transmitter

Main Magnet 0.5 to 2.0-tesla or 5,000 to 20,000 gauss (Resistive, Permanent, or

Superconducting)

RF coils

3 Gradient Magnets 18 to 27-millitesla or 180 to 270 gauss

RF amplifier

Fourier Transformer

Computer

MRI scanner overview:-

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WORKING PRINCIPLE:-

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MRI machines make use of the fact that body tissue contains lots of water, and
hence protons (1H nuclei), which get aligned in a large magnetic field. Each water molecule
has two hydrogen nuclei or protons. When a person is inside the powerful magnetic field of
the scanner, the average magnetic moment of many protons becomes aligned with the
direction of the field. A radio frequency current is briefly turned on, producing a
varying electromagnetic field. This electromagnetic field has just the right frequency, known
as the resonance frequency, to be absorbed and flip the spin of the protons in the magnetic
field. After the electromagnetic field is turned off, the spins of the protons return to
thermodynamic equilibrium and the bulk magnetization becomes re-aligned with the static
magnetic field. During this relaxation, a radio frequency signal (electromagnetic radiation in
the RF range) is generated, which can be measured with receiver coils.
Information about the origin of the signal in 3D space can be learned by applying
additional magnetic fields during the scan. These additional magnetic fields can be used to
only generate detectable signal from specific locations in the body (spatial excitation) and/or
to make magnetization at different spatial locations process at different frequencies, which
enables space encoding of spatial information. The 3D images obtained in MRI can be rotated
along arbitrary orientations and manipulated by the doctor to be better able to detect tiny
changes of structures within the body. These fields, generated by passing electric currents
through gradient coils, make the magnetic field strength vary depending on the position
within the magnet. Because this makes the frequency of the released radio signal also
dependent on its origin in a predictable manner, the distribution of protons in the body can be
mathematically recovered from the signal, typically by the use of the inverse Fourier
transform.
Protons in different tissues return to their equilibrium state at different relaxation
rates. Different tissue variables, including spin density, T1 and T2 relaxation times, and flow
and spectral shifts can be used to construct images. By changing the settings on the scanner,
this effect is used to create contrast between different types of body tissue or between other
properties, as in fMRI and diffusion.
MRI is used to image every part of the body, and is particularly useful for tissues
with many hydrogen nuclei and little density contrast, such as the brain, muscle, connective
tissue and most tumours.

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MAGNETIC FIELD:-

There are three types of magnets:

Resistive Magnets:The resistive magnet has many coils of wire that wrap around the bore, through
which electrical currents are passed, creating a magnetic field. This particular magnet
requires a large amount of electricity to run, but are quite cheap to produce.

Permanent Magnets:-

The permanent magnet is one that delivers a magnetic field, which is always on
at full strength and therefore, does not require electricity. The cost to run the machine is low
due to the constant magnetic force. However, the major drawback of these magnets is the
weight in relation to the magnetic field they produce.

Superconducting Magnets:The superconducting magnets are very similar to the design of the resistive
magnets, in that they too have coils through which electricity is passed creating a magnetic
field. However, the major difference between the resistive magnet and the superconducting
magnet is the fact that the coils are constantly bathed in liquid helium at -452.4C. This cold
temperature causes the resistance of the wire to be near zero, therefore reducing the electrical
requirement of the system. All of these factors allow for the machine to remain a manageable
size, have the ability to create high quality images, and still operate at a reasonable cost. The
superconducting magnet is the most commonly used in machines today, giving the highest
quality images of all three magnet types.

Gradient Magnets:There is another type of magnet that is found in all MRI machines, called
gradient magnets. These magnets are responsible for altering the magnetic field in the area to
be scanned and can magnetically slice the tissue to be examined from every angle.

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THE PROCEDURE:-

Once the contrast dye has been injected, the patient enters the bore of the MRI
machine on their back lying on a special table.
The patient will enter the machine head first or feet first, depending on the area to be
scanned.
Once the target is centered, the scan can begin.
The scan can last anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
The patient has a coil that is placed in the target area, to be scanned.
A radio frequency is passed through the coils that excite the hydrogen protons in the
target area.
The gradient magnets are then activated in the main magnet and alter the magnetic
field in the area that is being scanned.
The patient must hold completely still in order to get a high quality image. (This is
hard for patients with claustrophobia, and often times a sedative will be given, if
appropriate.)
The radio frequency is then turned-off and the hydrogen protons slowly begin to
return to their natural state.
The magnetic field runs down the center of the patient, causing the slowing hydrogen
protons to line-up.
The protons either align themselves pointed towards the head or the feet of the
patient, or most cancel each other out.
The protons that are not cancelled create a signal and are the ones responsible for the
image.

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The contrast dye is what makes the target area stand out and show any irregularities
that are present.
The dye blocks the X-Ray photons from reaching the film, showing different densities
in the tissue.
The tissue is classified as normal or abnormal based on its response to the magnetic
field.
The tissues with the help of the magnetic field send a signal to the computer.
The different signals are sent and modified into images that the clinician can evaluate,
and label as normal or abnormal.
If the tissue is considered abnormal, the clinician can often detect the abnormality,
and monitor progress and treatment of the abnormality.

TECHNOLOGY BEHIND MRI SYSTEM:-

Spin:

Proton spin

The atoms that compose the human body have a property known as spin (a
fundamental property of all atoms in nature like mass or charge).
Spin can be thought of as a small magnetic field and can be given a + or sign and a
mathematical value of multiples of .

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Components of an atom such as protons, electrons and neutrons all have spin.
Protons and neutron spins are known as nuclear spins.
An unpaired component has a spin of and two particles with opposite spins cancel
one another.
In NMR it is the unpaired nuclear spins that produce a signal in a magnetic field.

Human body is mainly composed of fat and water, which makes the human body,
composed of about 63% hydrogen.

Protons Important to MRI

Positively charged
Spin about a central axis
A moving (spinning) charge creates a magnetic field.
The straight arrow (vector) indicates the direction of the magnetic field.
When placed in a large magnetic field, hydrogen atoms have a strong tendency to
align in the direction of the magnetic filed
Inside the bore of the scanner, the magnetic field runs down the center of the tube in
which the patient is placed, so the hydrogen protons will line up in either the direction
of the feet or the head.
The majority will cancel each other, but the net number of protons is sufficient to
produce an image

Energy Absorption:

The MRI machine applies radio frequency (RF) pulse that is specific to hydrogen.
The RF pulses are applied through a coil that is specific to the part of the body being
scanned.

Resonance

The gradient magnets are rapidly turned on and off which alters the main magnetic
field.
The pulse directed to a specific area of the body causes the protons to absorb energy
and spin in different direction, which is known as resonance.
The resonant frequency,f of an RF coil is determined by
YB=f
Where,
f =larmour frequency.
B =strength of applied field.
y =gyro magnetic ratio.

Frequency (Hz) of energy absorption depends on strength of external magnetic field.

The resonance frequency, w0, is referred to as the Larmor frequency.

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Imaging:

When the RF pulse is turned off the hydrogen protons slowly return to their natural
alignment within the magnetic field and release their excess stored energy. This is
known as relaxation.
For every unit volume of tissue, there is a number of cells, these cells contain water
molecules, each water molecule contain one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms.
Each hydrogen atom contains one proton in its nucleus. Different tissues thus produce
different images based on the amount of their hydrogen atoms producing a signal

Released energy:

Released as heat
Exchanged and absorbed by other protons
Released as Radio Waves.

Measuring
MR Signal:

the

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The moving proton vector induces a signal in the RF antenna.

The signal is picked up by a coil and sent to the computer system. The received signal
is sinusoidal in nature.
The computer receives mathematical data, which is converted through the use of a
Fourier transform into an image.

MRI VERSUS CT SCANNING:-

The use of X-rays, a type of ionizing radiation, by computed tomography (CT)

scanner, to acquire images, make computed tomography a good tool for examining
tissue composed of elements of a higher atomic number than the tissue surrounding
them, such as bone and calcifications (calcium based) within the body (carbon based
flesh), or of structures (vessels, bowel). MRI, on the other hand, uses nonionizing radio frequency (RF) signals to acquire its images and is best suited for soft
tissue (although MRI can also be used to acquire images of bones, teeth and even
fossils

CT scans use ionizing radiation (X-rays) to produce images, which can

damage DNA and subsequently cause cancer. There is a small increased risk of cancer
with CT scans. It is estimated that 0.4% of current cancers in the United States are due
to CTs performed in the past and that this may increase to as high as 1.52% with
2007 rates of CT usage. Unlike CT, MRI does not use ionizing radiation, though it is
associated with other risks.

Contrast in CT images is generated purely by X-ray attenuation, while a variety of

properties may be used to generate contrast in MR images. By variation of scanning
parameters, tissue contrast can be altered to enhance different features in an image
(see Applications for more details). Both CT and MR images may be enhanced by the
use of contrast agents. Contrast agents for CT contain elements of a high atomic
number, relative to tissue, such as iodine or barium, while contrast agents for MRI
have paramagnetic properties, such as gadolinium and manganese, used to alter
tissue relaxation times. Commonly used MRI contrast agents may be contraindicated
in persons with significant permanent or transient kidney dysfunction.

CT and MRI scanners are able to generate multiple two-dimensional cross-sections

(tomography, or "slices") of tissue and three-dimensional reconstructions. MRI can

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generate cross-sectional images in any plane (including oblique planes). In the past,
CT was limited to acquiring images in the axial plane (or near axial). The scans used
to be called Computed Axial Tomography scans (CAT scans). However, the
development of multi-detector CT scanners with near-isotropic resolution, allows the
CT scanner to produce data that can be retrospectively reconstructed in any plane with
minimal loss of image quality. For purposes of tumour detection and identification in
the brain, MRI is generally superior. However, in the case of solid tumours of the
abdomen and chest, CT is often preferred as it suffers less from motion artefacts.
Furthermore, CT usually is more widely available, faster, and less expensive.
However, CT has the disadvantage of exposing the patient to harmful ionizing
radiation.

MRI is also best suited for cases when a patient is to undergo the exam several times
successively in the short term, because, unlike CT, it does not expose the patient to the
hazards of ionizing radiation. However MRI is usually contraindicated if the patient
has any type of medical implant, such as vague nerve stimulators, implantable
cardioverter-defibrillators, loop recorders, insulin pumps, cochlear implants, deep
brain stimulators, etc.; metallic foreign bodies such as shrapnel or shell fragments; or
metallic implants such as surgical prostheses. These devices can malfunction or heat
up during a scan, and as such, for patients having them, CT scans are considered the
safer option.

SAFTEY:A number of features of MRI scanning can give rise to risks.

These include:

Powerful magnetic fields

Radio waves

Cryogenic liquids

Noise

Claustrophobia.

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ADVANTAGES:-

Non-Invasive: MRI does not depend on potentially harmful ionizing radiation, as do

standard x-ray and CT scans.

MRI scans are not obstructed by bone, gas, or body waste, which can hinder other
imaging techniques.

Can see through bone (the skull) and deliver high quality pictures of the brain's
delicate soft tissue structures.

Images of organs and soft tissues.

LIMITATION:-

MRI treatment is a wonderful option for most patients, but there are some
people who are not candidates.
Those include:

Patients with pacemakers cannot have the scan done as the magnet from the MRI
interferes with the signal sent from the pacemaker, and deactivates it.
Patients who are too tall, or too obese.
Patients who have orthopedic hardware can get distortion in the image, and the scan
quality is not as high.
Claustrophobic.
Tremendous amount of noise during a scan.
MRI scans require patients to hold very still for extended periods of time. MRI exams
can range in length from 20 minutes to 90 minutes or more.
Orthopedic hardware (screws, plates, artificial joints) in the area of a scan can cause
severe artifacts.
High cost.

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DISTORTION:-

Poor magnetic field homogeneity.

Imperfect gradient coil design.
Radio frequency coil in homogeneity
Pulsatile flow artifact blood flowing perpendicular to the slice direction.
Respiratory motion.
Cardiac motion need motion correction.
Random bulk motion.
Chemical shift effects.

CURRENT REASERRCH AND FUTURE MERIT:-

Still in its infancy - in widespread use for less than 20 years (compared with over 100
years for X-rays) .

Very small scanners for imaging specific body parts are being developed.

Functional brain mapping.

Imaging ventilation dynamics of the lungs through the use of hyperpolarized helium-3
gas.

Development of new, improved ways to image strokes in their earliest stages is

ongoing.

MRA (Angiography) was developed to study blood flow.

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REFFERENCES:

Dr. Shilpa (Admin of MRI Dept. RUBBY HALL CLINIC, Pune.)

http://www.howstuffworks.com/mri.html
Keller, P.J., Basic Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, General Electric
Medical Systems, 1991.