MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanners are some of the most groundbreaking technologies used in modern day medicine. If you have ever had an MRI scan then you would remember the large tube-like machine that you were slowly slid into and told to lay completely still in for likely a very long time.
MRI’s use magnetic fields to produce detailed images of our tissues and organs. They are helpful as they can help detect abnormalities in our tissues and organs and can be used as a preventative measure for many diseases and conditions. Computers are used as a way to control the magnetic field in MRI's and retrieve the information of the body scan to transform it into a relevant image. A major issue that was present with MRI’s was how long a patient would have to lay still in the scanner which was up to about 45 minutes. MIT actually came up with an algorithm to reduce that time to about 15 minutes which has greatly benefited both patients and doctors in terms of saving valuable time. MRI’s produce many scans during their process and were programed to start from the beginning when they started a new scan in the body, which caused the machine to take a long time.
MIT created an algorithm that would use the information from the first scan that the MRI acquires and use it as a basis for the rest so that it would take less time. In scans successive to the first scan, the algorithm tries to predict the formation of a tissue but does not assume it as that would risk losing important details that show up in later contrast images. Although the image quality is slightly less than if the MRI were to take the full 45 minutes, it is still a valid way of scanning a patient and is helpful in saving both doctor and patient some time.
Writing References:
http://news.mit.edu/2011/better-mri-algorithm-1101
https://prezi.com/gx2sq08ffvzb/computer-science-and-health-computer-science-in-mri-technology/
Image References:
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodymr
http://news.mit.edu/2011/better-mri-algorithm-1101
Great post. I never knew how important MRI's were, and how important computer science is in the field of medicine/health. It's interesting to see how often you see MIT referenced in computer science research.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I never knew how important MRI's were, and how important computer science is in the field of medicine/health. It's interesting to see how often you see MIT referenced in computer science research.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting. I had no idea how MRIs actually worked and this article was easy to follow and understand.
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