Total topics: 982, Total posts: 1,471, Members: 717| Welcome new member TheLiegeAbout iPlanet | English繁體中文简体中文Industrial AutomationEmbedded ComputingIntelligent Service & VerticalGeneral DiscussioneHealthcare Introduction  It’s been more than 35 years si...Signage Market: Digital Signage  Location: Belgium  T...Hardware Intel is cleaning up the mid-range Sandy Brid...Software Google's latest Translate update is your best...Software Windows 8 Consumer Preview cracked 1 millio...IntroductionIt’s been more than 35 years since Dr. Raymond Damadian, a physician and scientist, scanned one of his students in what turned out to be the first ever MRI body scan on a human being. It took almost five hours to produce one image, and that original machine, named the "Indomitable," is now owned by the Smithsonian Institution. Today, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used in hospitals to scan patients and determine the severity of certain injuries or abnormalities. Unlike CT scanning or x-rays, no ionizing radiation is involved. MRI scanners noninvasively scan the body with the use of magnets. They can scan selected body parts in incredible detail, allowing doctors and clinicians to detect the early signs of cancer and help diagnose multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, torn ligaments, tendonitis, and strokes, amongst many others.[img]http://wfcache.advantech.com/EZ/CMSUserFiles/image//medical-CPCI.png[/img]An MRI scanner uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed imagesof the body. It generates a magnetic field by passing an electric current through wire loops in the machine. Another set of coils transmits radio frequency waves into the patient's body. There are different coils for different parts of the body: knees, shoulders, wrists, head, neck and so on. These coils usually conform to the contour of the body part being imaged, or at least reside very close to it during the exam. The emitted radio waves force the protons in the patient’s body to align, at which point the radio waves are absorbed by the protons which are stimulated and start to spin. The energy released by excited molecules emits signals received by the coil which are then processed by a computer in order to generate a 3D image of the body part being analyzed.Back in 1977, patients had to stay still for five hours to be scanned, but fortunately modern electronics have cut the waiting time down quite significantly. Even so, it can still be uncomfortable for patientswho are forced to remain immobile for periods of up to 45 minutes or more depending on the number of body parts being examined. Even very slight movement of the part being scanned can cause a distorted image and require a repeat.The market has evolved too, since that very first experiment, and according to Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA), the global MRI market was valued in the region of US$5.5 billion in 2010 and is estimated to rise to US$7.5 billion by the year 2015. Of this, the US market is estimat