INTRODUCTION OF MRI

By, Muhammad Arshad

Application Specialist
 OVER VIEW
 1) INTRODUCTION
 2) MR PROTON ALIGNMENT
 3) RESONANCE
 4) PRECESSION
 5) T1 AND T2 RELAXATION TIMES
 6) MR CONTRAST
 7) MR EQUIPMENT
 8) EFFECT OF PARAMETERS ON IMAGE
 9) EFFECT OF PROPER MAPING AND
SHIMMIG
 10) ARTIFACTS
 11) RF SHIELDING
 12) HAZARDS
 1) Introduction
 The human body is more than 85 percent water, which consist of
two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom(H2O).
 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio frequency signals
from hydrogen protons in the body to from images of body
structures.
 Can generate highly detailed images of human physiology
 Can be used to study underlying functional activity E.g. brains
 2) MR PROTON ALIGNMENT
 Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the human body.
Hydrogen protons align with the magnetic field when the human
body is placed in an MR magnet.
 In a magnetic field, the protons line up in the direction of the
magnetic field, similar to the way a compass lines up in the earth’s
magnetic field.

Nucleus of an atom has magnetic properties. When nucleus has an odd

number of protons (or neutrons), there is a magnetization. E.g.
Hydrogen-1 Proton
 Nucleus behaves like a dipole magnet
MR PROTON ALIGNMENT
 All the protons pointing in the direction of the magnetic
filed act together to produce a net magnetization, as if they
were combined into one larger magnet.
 When a patient’s body is placed in a magnetic field, the
hydrogen protons line up in the direction of that magnetic
field.

No external magnetic field External magnetic field B0

3) RESONANCE
Resonance is the absorption or emission of energy only at certain
specific frequencies.
Exchange of energy between two systems at a specific frequency
is called resonance. Magnetic resonance corresponds to the energetic
interaction between spins and electromagnetic radiofrequency (RF).
The resonance frequency, called Larmor frequency (ω0) or
precessional frequency, is proportional to the main magnetic field
strength: ω0 = γ B0.
LARMOR FREQUENCY
 The resonance frequency, called Larmor frequency (ω0)
or precessional frequency, is proportional to the main
magnetic field strength: ω0 = γ B0.
 The hydrogen protons in the body also have a resonance
frequency called Larmor Frequency. IT depends on the
magnetic filed strength.
 Larmor frequency as a function of magnetic field strength.
Magnetic Field Larmor Frequency
 Table: Strength (T)
0.5 21.1
1.0 42.3
1.5 63.4
2.0 84.6
4) PRECESSION
A spinning top, which is hit, performs a wobbling type of motion .
Protons in a strong magnetic field also show this type of motion, which
is called precession.
The precession actually goes very fast, the precession frequency for
hydrogen protons is somewhere around 42.3 MHz in a magnetic field
strength of 1 Tesla.
 5) T1 RELAXATION TIMES
 The time it takes for a proton to process back into alignment
with the external magnetic field is called the T1 relaxation
time.
 Differences in T1 relaxation times depend on binding of the
proton in different tissues.
 Protons in different types of tissues have different relaxation
times because their elasticity and chemical bonds are different.
T2 RELAXATION TIMES
 Protons in a magnetic field also have a second relaxation
time called T2 relaxation time depends on interactions
between the protons in small volume of tissue.
 T2 relaxation time of a tissue is the time it takes for the
protons to lose their phase.
 The T2 relaxation time of a tissue is always shorter than its
T1 relaxation time.
 T1 AND T2 VALUES FOR VARIOUS ORGANS AT 1T
MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH
Organ T1 (ms) T2 (ms)
Fat 220 90
Liver 440 50
Spleen 460 80
Muscle 600 40
White matter 700 90
Gray matter 820 100
CSF 2000 300
Blood 800 180
Water 2500 2500
 DIFFERENCE B/W T1 &T2 IMAGES
Body tissue Appearance in T1 Appearance in T2
White matter Bright Dark
Gray matter Dark Bright
Spinal fluid Dark Bright
Hematoma Bright dark
 DIFFERENCE B/W T1,T2 & PD IMAGES
T1 W Images T2 W Images PD Images

TR= Short TR= Long TR= Long

TE= Short TE= Long TE= Short

T1 and IR for Anatomy ,,, PD and T2 for Pathology

6) MR CONTRAST
 Four types of MR contrasts:
1. Static Contrast: Sensitive to relaxation properties of the
spins (T1, T2)
2. Endogenous Contrast: Contrast that depends on
intrinsic property of tissue (e.g. fMRI BOLD)
3. Exogenous contrast: Contrast that requires a foreign
substance (e.g. Gadolinium)
4. Motion contrast: Sensitive to movement of spins
through space (e.g. perfusion).
7) MR EQUIPMENT
MR EQUIPMENT
 MR Magnets (Permanent & Superconductor magnets)
 MRI units employ either a permanent or a superconductor magnets to produce
the external magnetic field.
 Shim coils
 Shim coil improve the uniformity of the magnetic field .
 Gradient coils
 Gradient coils are used to select the different imaging planes.
 RF coils
 RF coils are used to transmit the excitation pulse and collect the RF signals
from the hydrogen proton processing back into alignment with external
magnetic field.
 Patient support table
 The patient table supports the patient and allows the patient to be moved into
the bore for scanning.
 Computer
 The computer is a major component in the formation of MR images. It
programs the gradient coils to select different imaging planes, ant it processes
the RF signals from surface coils into digital data to create the MR image.
8) EFFECT OF PARAMETERS
ON IMAGE
 Repetition Time (TR)
Repetition Time (TR) is the time between two excitation pulses.

TR PD contrast, Signal and

Scan time

TR 500 ms, TE 10 TR 1000 ms, TE 10

 Time to Echo (TE).
Echo Time is the time between the excitation pulse and the echo
TE T2 contrast, Less Signal

TR 2000 ms, TE 30 TR 2000 ms, TE 120

At 30 ms CSF is dark (PD contrast), while at 120 ms. CSF is
bright
 Flip Angle.
 Flip Angle determines how much the net
magnetization vector is rotated towards the X-Y plan.

FA T1 contrast, Signal

TR 150 ms, TE 10, FA 10 TR 150 ms, TE 10, FA 70

A low FA has more T2 weighting (CSF bright), and a high FA
has more T1 weighting (CSF dark).
 Inversion Time (TI)
The Inversion Time is the time between an 180º
excitation pulse and the 90º-excitation pulse
TI Change in T1 contrast,
Signal

TR 2000 ms, TI 160 (STIR) TR 2000 ms, TI 600

Number Of Acquisitions (NA or NEX)
NAQ More Signal
Less Noise
Fewer Artifacts
More Scan time

NA 1 NA 2
 Matrix (MX)
The (acquisition) Matrix determines the spatial
resolution of the image.
MX Decrease voxel size
Lower Signal
Hi SR, T(PE), (RO) No

MX 32x256 MX 256x256
Field Of View (FOV)
The FOV determines how much of the patient we are
going to see.
FOV Increase Signal
Increase viewing area
Lower SR

FOV 10 cm FOV 25 cm
Slice Thickness (ST)
Slice Thickness influences the amount of signal, as well
as the sharpness of an image.
ST Increase signal
Lower SR
Large coverage

ST 5 ST 10
 Phase Encoding (PE) Direction
Although phase encoding is an excellent way to code the
spins in order to find out where the signal originates, it causes
also some serious problems.
One of the problems is an effect known as “Phase Wrap”.
Phase Wrap occurs when the FOV is smaller than the object
to be scanned.

Phase Wrap No Phase Wrap

10) Image Artifacts
Motion related artifacts

Motion

Pulsation

Respiration
Pulsation
 Para-Magnetic Artifacts

Dentures

Metal splinter

Grenade shrapnel
Surgical clip
9) EFFETC OF MAPING
Speeder Map Data Acquisition

Human head should be fully covered from top to bottom

Abnormal Map Plan and
artifact Image
 EFFECT OF SHIMMING
Shimming Plan & Spectrum

2 images are required for

making shimming scan plan
11) RF SHIELDING
 The MR room is surrounded by a copper screen
called a Faraday cage.
 This Faraday cage prevents external RF signals
from entering the room because the RF energy
cannot penetrate through the copper screen.
 RF shielding is necessary because the RF signals
from the processing protons in the patient are very
weak.
 In order to detect their weak signals, external RF
energy must be minimized.
Faraday RF Shielding
Components
12) HAZARDS
 A MRI unit uses no ionizing radiation.
 A Faraday cage shields the MR room from
external RF energy so that the weak RF signals
from the processing protons can be detected.
 Magnetic objects may be violently attracted into
the bore.
 Metal implants may be heated by RF fields.
 There is also the possibility that the magnetic field
will disrupt cardiac pacemakers.