BASIC MRI TECHNICAL ISSUES AND HOW TO INTERPRET AND USE THE DIFFERENT MR IMAGE TYPES

R.G.W. LambertRadiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaThis brief lecture will review the simplest elements of an MR image in language that will not require the reader to have a PhD degree in physics or chemistry. I will discuss how the MR picture varies according to the nature of the material being scanned and how MR signal changes with the common types of signal weighting. The effects of T1 and T2 weighting will be explained using very simple scans and illustrated using images of everyday objects including visual examples of the utility of fat suppression sequences. For the most common scans, I will show which tissues can be reliably used to identify a sequence in musculoskeletal MRI. Simple factors affecting image quality, basic technical issues and the limitations of MRI will be discussed including which patients are not suitable and why some joints are more difficult to scan. MRI will be compared to CT scanning and the rheumatological use of MRI will be discussed in terms of diagnosis, classification or staging of disease and follow-up; and in terms of detecting inflammation and joint damage. Suggested reading: 1.Lufkin RB. The MRI Manual. C.V. Mosby; 2nd Edition (1998). ISBN-10: 0815156650, 13: 978-0815156659 2.Helms CA, Major NM, Anderson MW, Kaplan P, Dussault R. Musculoskeletal MRI. Elsevier; 2nd Edition (2008). ISBN 1416055347, 9781416055341 3.Maksymowych WP, Lambert RG. Magnetic resonance imaging for spondyloarthritis-avoiding the minefield. J Rheumatol. 2007 Feb;34(2):259-65. Disclosure of Interest: None declaredCitation: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, volume 69, supplement 3, year 2010, page 24Session: MRI Basic 1 (Speaker Presentations )