Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

Clinical data of the only human whole body NMR-CT scanner manufactured in Japan were collected and assessed. The outline of NMR-CT and its available images were introduced. This scanner uses the proton in the human body as a target atomic nucleus and images the distribution of its NMR intensity. By specifying the gradient magnetic field of the examinee, tomograms of an optional plane are imaged, and as a merit, the method visualizes the spinal cord in the direction of the long axis. It also visualizes the spatial distribution of biochemical quantities of living tissues and produces characteristic signals of dynamic changes at molecular level. Sixty and several new clinical cases have been studied by inversion recovery, but the effect of the magnetic field was not taken into consideration. Because of the low sensitivity, this scanner requires several minutes for obtaining a sufficient spatial resolution. (Chiba, N.)