Low-cost magnetic resonance imaging

Of the established medical imaging techniques magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sophisticated and one of the most expensive. The high capital cost of MRI systems is due in part to the requirement of a large magnet and also the supporting computer system. For the last three years Exeter has been developing a low-cost MRI system to image wrists and hands for the study of arthritis. The Exeter system utilizes the latest generation of specialist microprocessors to undertake image reconstruction at a fraction of the cost of a commercial system. This paper describes a practical realization of a low-cost microprocessor based MRI image reconstruction system that demonstrates the elegance of this imaging modality and its potential for medical research and diagnosis. (author)