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Imaging

The power of magnetic fields

Detailed images without radiation. Just one of the benefits of a technology that enables extensive diagnostics. 

3min
Published on March 5, 2021

While many scientific discoveries come to nothing, some are destined to change the world. As one of the founding fathers of MRI, did Nikola Tesla realize the impact his work on the origin and behavior of magnetic fields would have on our medical technology today?

A steady knocking. Again and again. Then suddenly it appears: layer by layer, strong magnetic fields show the inner structures of the body to reveal something that normally remains hidden from view. How clearly various structures can be visualized depends on the level of water content in the respective tissue. MRI can image all types of soft tissue especially in fascinating detail.

Over fifty years ago, the foundation was laid for a technology that today supports the widest range of diagnostic radiological procedures: A tribute to magnetic resonance imaging. 


The long path to the patient

The development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an exciting story of innovation spanning four decades – if not several centuries – and two Nobel prizes. But the fact that MRI scanners are now used in patient care all over the world is also thanks to industrial research and development.
MRI - The long path to the patient

What’s that knocking?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been part of routine medical practice for years. The big tubes produce fascinating images. No wonder that MRI is seen as the crowning glory of diagnostics. But how exactly does it work? What’s so special about it? We answer twelve questions to give a better idea.
What is that knocking?

The MRI at 50 – what lies ahead?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard of imaging diagnostics in many medical fields. But it is still far from always being readily available – even where it would be the best option. Technological progress is rapid. The next generation MRI could look very different.
The future of MRI

The liquid gold of magnetic resonance imaging

It’s lighter than air and allows balloons to take flight effortlessly. Divers use it as an additive in their gas tanks to combat “rapture of the deep,” a narcosis-like state that occurs while diving below a certain depth. We’re talking about helium. This fascinating element also plays a vital role in magnetic resonance imaging.
Helium in the periodic table

  1. Courtesy (image) of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China