MRI by Arni Savoretti

Arni Savoretti

MRI

Mrs. D’Arco

Many scientific advances have made the world a better place, but few advances have impacted the world of science more than Magnetic Resonance Imaging; the MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was largely developed by William A. Edelstein and in 1979. Edelstein was able to use his massive invention to capture the “first recognizable whole body image.” It was Edelstein who made it possible to take intricate and detailed images of the inside of the human body. Recently awarded the Alumni Achievement Award for his work; he has surely left “Edelstein fingerprints” all over today’s MRI. Edelstein is the primary inventor of the “spin warp” whereby a magnet spins at an incredibly high speed transferring the resonance from the spinning into a 3D image.

DISCOVERY

William Edelstein is credited with many advancements in MRI technology, however without the discoveries made by Nobel Laureates Paul Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield, the MRI would still just be an idea (Hecht 2003). Their work with atomic nuclei, when spun and then rest, give emit radio waves that help visualize a cross section of a subject. By manipulating the gradients in the magnets the discovery of two dimensional images occurred. By further fine tuning the gradients coupled with varying the speed of the magnets, these scientists transformed MRI by revolutionizing the quality of the image (Hecht 2003). Their work enabled Edelstein to modify the machine to gives us the modern day MRI.

INVESTIGATOR/INVENTOR BIO

Interested in pushing the use of this technology further, William A. Edelstein, the son of phsycists, joined General Electric (GE) and helped MRI to become a common practice. Even in the 1990’s GE, thanks to Edelstein, was able to open the MRI market to a billion dollars annually. It grew as fast as Steve Jobs’ Apple Computers. Edelstein accomplished this feat by advancing the technology to include “clinical imaging at high magnetic fields.” This was accomplished using a birdcage coil. Coils of various sizes could image everything from an eyeball to the whole body with stunning accuracy. As the 1.5 T system did not get early acceptance but later dominated the field. Edelstein is still working on improving the MRI by shorten exams and lessening the decibels experienced during a MRI. Armed with a Ph.D. on Physics from Harvard, his investment in this “crazy project” yielded the first recognizable whole-body scan. Still working in the field, Edelstein hopes to shorten the time of the scan and lower the decibels involved (Peterson 2009).

IMPACT

The MRI is one of the only machines that can scan the human body in a 3-dimensional, clear format assisting doctors in making more informed decisions. This non-evasive procedure has saves thousands of lives.

JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW

Title: Efficacy of MRI and Mammography for Breast-Cancer Screening in Women with a Familial or

Genetic Predisposition (The New England Journal of Medicine)

Summary: In a study of nearly 2,000 women in a high-risk group who are predisposed to breast-cancer through either family or genetics, the MRI was nearly 80% more effective than a clinical screening and 33.3% more effective than mammography. This means that it appears that MRI’s are more sensitive than the standard mammogram in detecting breast cancer tumors in women in this high-risk group. This is significant because it can help to reduce the mortality of women with breast cancer by an estimated 25%. Additionally, the use of MRI in detecting breast-cancer is “virtually uninfluenced by breast density.” The earlier the diagnosis for breast-cancer is the safer and more effective the treatment. This technology can saves lives.

Works Cited:

Hecht, Frederick. "Nobel Prize for MRI Discovery - MedicineNet - Health and Medical Information

Produced by Doctors." MedicineNet - Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. .

Kriege, Michael. "Efficacy of MRI and Mammography for Breast-Cancer Screening." The New England

Journal of Medicine 351.5 (2004): 427-437. Print.

Peterson, Doug. "William A. Edelstein: Leaving High-Tech Fingerprints." LASNews Magazine. University

of Illinois, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.

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