Expanding MRI Technology Leads to Better Diagnoses

First published May 2014
Updated December 2025

Imagine a device that allows physicians to see how a patient’s brain responds when the patient performs basic mental tasks. Or a machine that provides 3-D images of a patient’s heart with details so sharp, technologists can use them to create a movie of the heart as it works.

Does it sound like science fiction? It’s not. This technology is commonplace here in our MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In the 32 years I have been a MRI team member, MRI technology has progressed rapidly, with clinical applications expanding to include pediatrics.

MRI utilizes a powerful magnet coupled with radio waves to generate images inside the body. We have 1.5 T and 3 T MRI scanners here at NCH. The “T” stands for Tesla, which is a large unit of magnetic field strength. A junkyard magnet used to pick up car parts is typically less than 0.5 T, so a 3 T MRI scanner is six times stronger! The stronger the magnet, the better the images the MRI can capture.

MRI can also be used to acquire fMRI, or “functional” MRI, which can capture physiological changes in the body. One such example is fMRI of the brain, which shows what parts of the brain are activated when a patient is asked to perform a mental task. These images provide critical information about how each patient’s brain is uniquely wired, which allows physicians to determine the best treatment for a patient and give surgeons a highly detailed road map for surgical planning.

Another expanding application is cardiac MRI, where cardiac morphology and function exams are performed These studies are especially impressive, because the scans show “movie loops” of the heart beating at many different angles, so all the chambers, valves, vessels and blood flow throughout the heart can be assessed in detail. This will be an invaluable tool for the treatment of cardiac defects and disease. And these are just a few of the kinds of scans possible with MRI technology, which does not use ionizing radiation (x-rays)

The MRI suite is housed in a carefully controlled environment equipped with hardware and software that allows the patient to watch a movie or listen to music during the MRI scan, offering a safe and comforting experience for patients and their families. Children who otherwise may have needed sedation to undergo an MRI scan will often cooperate when presented with the option to watch Spongebob!

As a powerful diagnostic tool, MRI is here to stay, comparable to x-ray in its contribution to medical imaging. It’s been my privilege over the last three decades to serve here in our MRI Department at NCH, and I’m excited to see what MRI has in store for us in the future!