Magnetic Resonance Imaging, most commonly known as MRI, is a medical device system made up of an intricate set of primary performing MRI parts which use magnetic field and the natural resonance of atoms in the body to obtain images of human tissues. The first functioning MRI device was launched in 1945 and the equipment has become an essential part of the imaging world, with steadily improving technology. Thanks to the increasing sophistication of MRI parts, MRI has evolved to become a key diagnostic device. It is noninvasive and is capable of taking pictures of both soft and hard tissues, unlike other medical imaging tools. MRI is primarily used to examine the internal organs for abnormalities such as tumors or chemical imbalances.
The primary functioning MRI parts of an MRI system include: one external magnet, RF (radio frequency) equipment, gradient coils and a computer. Other MRI part components include an RF shield, a power supply, NMR probe, display unit, and a refrigeration unit. Since the process uses an RF signal to deliver the information in the form of an image, radiation is an ongoing risk. MRIs are placed inside RF-shielded enclosures to both protect operators and patients, and also to prevent random RF signals, for example, from cell phones, from interfering with MRI scans.
The magnet, which is used to create the steady external magnetic field, is the largest MRI part of any Magnetic Resonance Imaging system. To be useful, the magnet MRI part must be able to produce a stable magnetic field that penetrates all the way through a targeted slice, of the body. There are three different kinds of magnet MRI parts available. A resistive magnet MRI part is composed of thin aluminum bands wrapped in a loop. When electricity is conducted around the loop, a magnetic field is created at a 90 degree angle to the loop. In an MRI system, four resistive magnet MRI parts are placed at right angles to each other, to produce a consistent magnetic field.
Another set of MRI parts, used to provide a way to decode the NMR signal that is received from a sample, magnetic field gradients are used. Typically, three sets of gradient coil MRI parts are used to provide data in each of the three dimensions. Like the primary magnets, these MRI part coils are made of a conducting loop that creates a magnetic field. In the MRI system, they are wrapped around the cylinder that surrounds the patient.
An important MRI part, the RF system, has various roles in MRI equipment. First, it is responsible for transmitting the RF radiation that induces the atoms to release a signal. Next, this MRI part receives the produced signal and intensifies it so it can be controlled by the computer. RF coils are the primary MRI parts in the RF system.
The final integral MRI part in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging system is a computer, which controls the signals sent as well as processes and stores the signals received. Before the received signal can be analyzed by the computer, it is translated through an analog-digital convertor, another essential MRI part. When the computer receives signals, it performs various reconstruction algorithms, creating a matrix of numbers suitable for storing and building a visual display.