Handbook of MRI Technique

Catherine Westbrook

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781118661628
• eBook ISBN: 9781118661611
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Radiology, Radiotherapy & Nuclear Medicine

Now entering its fourth edition, the market-leading Handbook of MRI Technique has been fully revised and updated to incorporate new technologies and developments essential to good practice. Written specifically for technologists and highly illustrated, it guides the uninitiated through scanning techniques and helps more experienced technologists to improve image quality.

The first part of the book considers the main aspects of theory that relate to scanning and also includes practical tips on gating, equipment use, patient care and safety, and information on contrast media. The second half provides step-by-step instruction for examining each anatomical area, beginning with a basic anatomy section followed by sections on indications, patient positioning, equipment, artefacts and tips on optimizing image quality.

• Written by an international team of technologists from the United States, United Kingdom and Europe
• Suitable for users for all types of MRI systems
• Now includes key points throughout for quick reference
• Companion website at www.wiley.com/go/westbrook/mritechnique with self-assessment and image flashcards

Handbook of MRI Technique continues to be the ideal support both for radiographers new to MRI and for regular users looking for information on alternative techniques and suggestions on protocol modifications.

1
How to use this book

Introduction

This book has been written with the intention of providing a step-by-step explanation of the most common examinations currently carried out using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is divided into two parts.

Part 1 contains reviews or summaries of those theoretical and practical concepts that are frequently discussed in Part 2. These are:

• parameters and trade-offs
• pulse sequences
• flow phenomena and artefacts
• gating and respiratory compensation (RC) techniques
• patient care and safety
• contrast agents.

These summaries are not intended to be comprehensive but contain only a brief description of definitions and uses. For a more detailed discussion of these and other concepts, the reader is referred to the several MRI physics books now available. MRI in Practice by C. Westbrook, C. Kaut Roth and John Talbot (Wiley Blackwell, 2011, fourth edition) describes them in more depth.

Part 2 is divided into the following examination areas:

• head and neck
• spine
• chest
• abdomen
• pelvis
• upper limb
• lower limb.

Each anatomical region is subdivided into separate examinations. For example, the section entitled Head and Neck includes explanations on imaging the brain, temporal lobes, pituitary fossa, etc. Under each examination, the following categories are described:

• basic anatomy
• common indications
• equipment
• patient positioning
• suggested protocol
• image optimization
• patient considerations
• contrast usage.

Basic anatomy

Simple anatomical diagrams are provided for most examination areas to assist the reader.

Common indications

These are the most usual reasons for scanning each area, although occasionally some rarer indications are included.

Equipment

This contains a list of the equipment required for each examination and includes coil type, gating leads, bellows and immobilization devices. The correct use of gating and RC is discussed in Part 1 (see Gating and respiratory compensation techniques). The coil types described are the most common currently available. These are as follows.

• Volume coils that both transmit and receive radio-frequency (RF) pulses and are specifically called transceivers. Most of these coils are quadrature coils, which means that they use two pairs of coils to transmit and receive signal, so improving the signal to noise ratio (SNR). They have the advantages of encompassing large areas of anatomy and yielding a uniform signal across the whole field of view (FOV). The body coil is an example of this type of coil.
• Linear phased array coils consist of multiple coils and receivers. The signal from the receiver of each coil is combined to f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Preface
• Contributors
• 1 How to use this book
• Part 1: Theoretical and practical concepts
• Part 2: Examination areas
• Index
• Access to companion website
• End User License Agreement