Different Types Of Machines Used In Mris

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a medical imaging technique that allows doctors to create pictures of the human body from any angle and direction. Doctors perform the procedure in a safe, noninvasive way by applying strong magnetic fields and radio pulses. MRI is used to diagnose and follow up many illnesses such as brain tumors, Alzheimer’s and meningitis.

Low-, Mid- and High-Field

The strength of MRI scanners is measured in tesla units, states the Tesla Society. The stronger the magnetic field, the higher the quality of the images the scanner can produce. MRI scanners can be classified into three different classes based on their levels of tesla. Low-field MRI scanners have a level less than 0.2 tesla, the level of midfield MRI scanners is 0.2 to 0.6 tesla, and high-field MRI scanners have a level between 1.0 and 1.5 tesla.

Traditional Closed MRI

The traditional closed MRI scanner is cylindrical tube surrounded by a circular magnet. A patient lies on a movable examination table that slides into the center of the magnet. The quality of the images that closed MRI scanners produce is typically excellent. Not all patients can be studied using them, however. Some patients are afraid of closed spaces and panic inside the small scanner, and obese patients are sometimes too large for the device.

Open and Stand-Up MRI

Doctors can treat obese or claustrophobic patients using an MRI scanner in which the magnet does not completely surround the patient. These machines are called open MRI scanners. Some older open MRI units can’t render images that are as clear as those produced with closed MRI scanners. The image quality of newer open MRI scanners, however, is typically similar to those of traditional MRI scanners.

The newest forms of open MRI scanners are stand-up or up-front scanners. Unlike other scanners that require patients to be lying down, these devices can examine patients in standing, sitting, stretching, rotating and bending positions. This flexibility in positioning provides useful information to doctors, especially when diagnosing physical pain. The ability to view the body in these positions allows doctors to understand the effects of weight and pressure on the body. Moreover, when patient are scanned in the positions in which they experience pain, their doctors can more easily find the cause of that pain. Stand-up MRI scanners are not enclosed like typical scanners and are thus ideal for claustrophobic patients.