Present and future clinical position of magnetic resonance imaging.

Following the appearance of the first clinical reports on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) five years ago, stock is now taken of the clinical value of this new imaging technique and its future potential is assessed. Contrast and spatial resolution as well as specificity of CT and MRI are compared and the multiplicity of sequences, multiplanar facility, and flexibility of MRI over CT are analyzed. The dominant role of MRI over CT in the study of some disorders of the central nervous system is assessed and so are the limitations. In this context the usefulness of paramagnetic contrast media is also evaluated. The difficulties of body imaging are discussed. The solutions of overcoming cardiac and respiratory motions artifacts are evaluated and areas where MRI has already achieved a high level of clinical application are identified. Mention is made of additional information obtainable by MRI as, for example, sodium imaging, blood flow measurements, and the combination of imaging with spectroscopy. Possible future prospects are analyzed, for example, high-resolution imaging, alternative sequences to those commonly used in particular the short TI IR sequence (STIR), chemical shift imaging, and the possibility of utilizing susceptibility for imaging purposes. The problem of radiofrequency receiver coil design is approached and so is the choice of magnetic fields. The future relationship of MRI with established noninvasive techniques is stressed.