MRI

Medical abbreviation · Medical Imaging

MRI
Stands forMagnetic resonance imaging
CategoriesMedical

MRI stands for Magnetic resonance imaging, a medical imaging abbreviation.

Imaging method that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves, not X-rays, to produce detailed cross-sectional pictures, especially of soft tissues such as brain, spinal cord, joints, ligaments, liver, prostate and breast. Most clinical scanners operate at 1.5 or 3 tesla, and an exam usually takes 20 to 60 minutes inside a narrow tube.

Example: MRI L-spine without contrast shows an L5-S1 disc extrusion compressing the left S1 nerve root.

Usage notes

No ionizing radiation is involved, but the magnet is always on, so patients are screened for pacemakers, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips and metal fragments; many modern implants are labeled "MR conditional". Gadolinium contrast is added for tumors, infection and inflammation. Raymond Damadian built an early whole-body scanner in 1977, and Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield shared the 2003 Nobel Prize for the imaging methods. The technique was first called NMR imaging; "nuclear" was dropped partly to avoid alarming patients.

More medical imaging abbreviations

  • LDCT – Low-dose computed tomography
  • LI-RADS – Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System
  • Lung-RADS – Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System
  • MBS – Modified barium swallow
  • MR – Magnetic resonance
  • MRA – Magnetic resonance angiography
  • MRV – Magnetic resonance venography
  • NCCT – Non-contrast computed tomography
  • OPG – Orthopantomogram
  • PA – Posteroanterior
  • PACS – Picture archiving and communication system
  • PET – Positron emission tomography

See all 58 medical imaging abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.