Ultimate MRI.

Abstract

The basic principles of Magnetic Resonance have been understood for over 70 years and a mainstay of medical imaging for over 40. At this point, it's no longer about simply porting these principles to medical imaging. But we are by no means confined to simply polishing either. Significant innovation and even revolution can come to old technologies. The recent revolution in optical microscopy shattered the resolution constraint imposed by a seemingly fundamental physical law (the diffraction limit) and reinvigorated a 500-year-old modality. Progress comes from re-examining old-ways and sidestepping underlying assumptions. This is already underway for MRI; and is fueled by advances in image reconstruction. Reconstruction increasingly employs sophisticated general models often using subtle and hopefully innocuous prior knowledge about the object. This allows a careful re-examination of some basic prerequisites for MRI such as uniform static fields, linear encoding fields, full Nyquist sampling, or even a stationary object. These powerful reconstruction tools are driving changes in acquisition strategy and basic hardware. The scanner of the future will know more about itself and its patient and his/her biology than ever before. This strategy emboldens relaxed hardware constraints and more specialized scanners, hopefully expanding the reach and value offered by MR imaging.