Abstract
It is almost 40 years since a full-body magnetic resonance imaging machine was used for the first time to scan a patient and generate diagnostic-quality images. The scanner and signal processing methods needed to produce an image were devised by a team of medical physicists including John Mallard, Jim Hutchinson, Bill Edelstein and Tom Redpath at the University of Aberdeen, leading to widespread use of the MRI scanner, now a ubiquitous tool in radiology departments across the world.
MRI was a game changer in medical diagnostics because it didn’t require exposure to ionising radiation (such as X-rays), and could generate images on multiple cross-sections of the body with superb definition of soft tissues. This allowed, for example, the direct visualisation of the spinal cord for the first time.
MRI was a game changer in medical diagnostics because it didn’t require exposure to ionising radiation (such as X-rays), and could generate images on multiple cross-sections of the body with superb definition of soft tissues. This allowed, for example, the direct visualisation of the spinal cord for the first time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | The Conversation |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Aug 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Alison Murray receives funding from Innovate UK, the European Commission, the Wellcome Trust, the Chief Scientist Office, the Scottish Funding Council (via the Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform of Scientific Excellence) and the University of Aberdeen.Keywords
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- MRI
- Healthcare
- Pathology
- NHS
- Medical technology
- Nuclear medicine
- Cancer screening
- NHS data
- Data privacy
- Radiology
- Magnetic resonance imaging
