NEW at this practice MRI (Magnetic
Resonance Imaging) referral facility for Patients who
are uninsured or who have no Health Plan
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the most
advanced technique currently available for imaging the human body. It uses a magnetic
field and radio waves which when processed through a powerful computer produce images of
the internal structure of the body.
The human body is made up of primarily of
water and fat. Water and fat have many hydrogen atoms which make the human body
approximately 60% hydrogen atoms. When placed in a strong magnetic field (a typical MRI
scanner has a magnetic field 10,000 times as strong as the Earth's) the hydrogen nuclei
line up with the field and spin. As they spin, these nuclei wobble on their axes, or
precess. An analogy often used is to imagine a spinning top wobbling before it comes to
rest. Whereas a spinning top, precesses only once or twice each second, the
hydrogen nuclei, however, precess at a rate within the radio frequency range. They are
thus both receptive to and emit radio waves. The radio waves so emitted, when analysed by
a powerful computer, allow the creation of an image of the internal structure of the body.
Any internal injuries to soft tissues, muscle, bone, ligament or cartilage are well
depicted on these images and allow a diagnosis to be made.
Contact the clinic for further information on how
to be referred
|
