magnetic resonance imaging summary

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Computer production of images from magnetic resonance. The structural and biochemical information it provides is helpful in the diagnosis of abnormalities without the possibly harmful effects of X rays or gamma rays. It is invaluable in detecting and delineating tumours and in providing images of the brain, the heart, and other soft-tissue organs. MRI may produce anxiety because the patient must often lie quietly inside a narrow tube. Another disadvantage is that it requires a longer scanning time than other computer-assisted forms of scanning, which makes it more sensitive to motion and of less value in scanning the chest or abdomen. However, MRI images provide better contrast between normal and diseased tissue than those produced by other computer-assisted imagery.