What Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?
MRI is a sophisticated diagnostic imaging technique that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to examine parts of the body. MRI is safe and effective and does not use ionizing radiation like X-ray or CT. MRI most often is used to diagnose diseases of the brain, spine, skeleton, chest, abdomen, pelvis and blood vessels. With our open-design MRI, you lie on a comfortable table that gently glides into position from the side, not head first, and you are not confined to a narrow tunnel.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a special test that produces very clear, detailed pictures of the organs and structures in your body. The test uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to create images in cross-section. While an X-ray is very good at showing bones, an MRI lets your healthcare provider see structures made of soft tissue such as ligaments and cartilage and organs such as your eyes, brain, and heart.
MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. MRI is capable of imaging any area of the body. MRA, which stands for Magnetic Resonance Angiography, is the process of imaging the blood vessels within the body. Both MRI and MRA use a large magnet, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce images. Both of these types of procedures are performed at Kootenai MRI.
This test is similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism and radio waves to build up a series of cross sectional images. MRI pictures as so precise that they often provide as much information as directly looking at the tissues. For this reason MRI has potential to reduce the number of certain diagnostic procedures. MRI uses no x-rays and the magnetic fields are not known to be harmful. However, it takes longer to obtain the pictures than a conventional x-ray machine, and although the price is coming down all the time, the cost of the equipment means that they are used primarily in those centres where they are kept most busy.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is technology that allows your physician to see inside your body without surgery or potentially harmful ionizing radiation. MRI “sees through” bone and can image soft tissue in any part of the body. The pictures produced assist your doctor in diagnosing health problems at their earliest, most treatable stages. In many cases, MRI eliminates the need for additional diagnostic procedures. An open MRI is specifically designed for claustrophobic patients and patients who are not comfortable in traditional MRI scanners. Patients of most any size maybe scanned in an open scanner. Other patients can be scanned in a more powerful standard “high-field” MRI scanner available at several locations. Your physician can help you decide which technology best suits your situation.
