Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Basic principles
Tress, B.M.; Brant-Zawadski, M.
Medical Journal of Australia 142(1): 21-24
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-729X PMID: 3880860 Document Number: 261719
The physical principles underlying nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging (also known as MRI) are described. NMR is an important new non-invasive imaging modality, which does not use ionizing radiation. Its ability to map hydrogen ion distribution, and to detect two intrinsic parameters ("relaxation times") which are indicative of the immediate chemical environment of the hydrogen nuclei, results in images of superior spatial detail in the brain and spinal cord. The potential of this technique for quantitating blood flow and for the exact identification of tissues is discussed.