Present clinical status of magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging has achieved clinical importance and has become the primary tool in the investigation of head, spinal cord, pelvis, cancellous bone, pericardium (with gating), gallbladder, lymph node masses, and very soon, in the evaluation of joints. In many areas, particularly with respiratory and ECG gating, this method promises to replace all other imaging modalities with the precision of information obtained. Today the exceptions are the alimentary tube and its mesentery, between the esophagus and rectum, and the peripheral lung.