Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) follows different principals and uses different technology than a typical x-ray. The patient, or their specific body part, is placed in a super-conducting magnet and currents moving through a series of coils create a strong magnetic field. A “pulse” causes the protons in hydrogen nuclei of the body's tissues to resonate to varying degrees, generating a signal or electromagnetic wave. This generated signal varies according to the properties of the tissue and the settings of the magnet. The signal is detected by the receiving coil and, after complex data processing, an image is displayed on the monitor.
Most MRI Units generate a magnetic field strength more than 10,000 times the earth’s magnetic field! Patients with cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, some prosthetic heart valves, bone growth stimulators or neurostimulators (TENS), brain aneurysm clips or coils, metal fragments, and some penile prostheses cannot undergo MRI tests.
