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First Image Taken With an Ultra Low Field MRI

Posted by kdawson on from the swimming-with-the-squids dept.

KentuckyFC writes "MRI machines are about to get smaller, much smaller. Most of their bulk is taken up by the huge superconducting magnets required to generate fields of a few Teslas. Now a team at the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico has built a machine that can produce images using a field of only a few microTesla (PDF, abstract here). So giant superconducting magnets aren't necessary, a development that has the potential to make MRI machines much smaller, perhaps even suitcase-sized. The one-page paper shows sections of the first 3D brain image taken with the device."

5 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Re:We have determined that your brain configuratio by Dunbal · · Score: 2, Funny


    We have determined that your brain configuration predisposes you to rebellion

    (read that as: your head is still attached to your shoulders)

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  2. Re:Article's title is misleading by kanweg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Should be big enough for early creationists.

    Bert

  3. Re:maybe a little bitter about this by kannibal_klown · · Score: 3, Funny

    To add insult to injury, apparently it's a growing trend to send the CT images electronically to India for a specialist to analyze.

  4. Re:MRI accidents by myth_of_sisyphus · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was in a gown prepared to get an MRI for my back and a little old lady in the waiting room with me refused to give the MRI tech her purse. She was in a gown holding her giant purse with metal snaps and buckles tightly. (An amusing image. I lol'd)

    She said "I don't want to leave my purse behind. I'll hold it really tight."

    The tech said "You can't hold it. It'll tear your arms off."

    She said "I'll just set it on a chair next to me."

    He said "You can't bring it with you. There's a big magnet in the room and it will go flying and might hit you in the head."

    She refused to give up the purse. Couldn't grasp the concept of giant purse-eating magnet. She got dressed and left.

    The MRI tech and I were laughing about it as he set me up in the machine.

  5. Re:other implications by 2short · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ten years ago my girlfriend at the time was involved in research using NIHs 4T human machine, a 3-story tall superconducting magnet. There was a fence outside part of the building with signs saying keep out, strong magnetic fields. But one day my girlfriend told me how the director had to go running outside because some workmen digging a trench were taking down a section of the fence, preparing to bring a backhoe through. After arguing a bit with the construction foreman about this being where the trench was supposed to go, and how he really didn't think a magnet was going to hurt his backhoe, she took one of their shovels and stuck it to the wall. That got their attention long enough to explain how many millions of dollars they would owe her if their backhoe gets sucked though the side of the building and breaks her magnet.