MRI

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

MRI is an abbreviation of 'magnetic resonance imaging'.

Photograph of an MRI coil, resembling a tube into which the patient is slid.
A magnetic coil which produces the magnetic field that influences the alignment of molecules in the tissues, so that the various structures can be seen.
Photograph of a surgeon explaining an MRI scan to a patient.
The results are presented as if photographs have been taken of each body 'slice' and the surgeon is able to reconstruct the 3D image in his head.

How does MRI work?

All cells and body tissues react to electrical charges. MRI uses powerful magnets to align the protons within tissues to its own electrical field.

Then the magnetic signal is stopped and the tissues swing back to their original alignment,  releasing radio waves as they do so. These are captured by the computer which can image these signals and allow the doctor to 'see' imaged slices of the part of the body under examination. Because doctors learn to interpret body slices as part of their anatomy training, it is little effort for them to recreate the 3-dimensional body part in their mind's eye.

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