MRI scan

An MRI scan (MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetic energy and radio waves to make cross-sections, or slices, of the body. An MRI scan consists of a tube and a cylinder-shaped magnet.

During the examination, a signal is emitted, the energy of which is partly absorbed by the atoms of the body and partly reflected back. These reflected signals are measured by a computer and converted into an image. An advantage of the MRI examination is that the MRI scan can create images in all directions, and not just transverse slices. Making an MRI scan may be necessary to distinguish between various abnormalities that cannot be distinguished with a CT scan.

For the examination, the patient is placed in a kind of tube, which is quite narrow. The examination lasts approximately 40 minutes, and several series of photos are taken during the examination. The patient feels nothing further from the examination.

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Example of an MRI Scan

Below is an example of an MRI scan of a normal liver in two different directions.

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Here you see an MRI of the liver, which makes a cross-section through the body in the same way as the CT scan. The left side of the picture is the right side of the abdomen. You see the liver there again, and in the middle of the liver you see a part of the bile duct, which has a white color. donor liver
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Here you see a cross-section through the body, but now in the longitudinal direction. The liver is a bit more difficult to see here but is located in the upper right corner of the abdomen. On this scan you will again see the bile duct turning white.

Diagnostic Ultrasound CT Scan PET Scan