Magnetic resonance imaging: the basic physical and clinical concepts. Part I.

Noninvasive evaluation of the human body has become an essential tool in the diagnosis of disease processes. Recent developments in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have extended a powerful chemical analytic technique to the medical imaging field. This article presents the fundamental principles of MRI in terms of the concept of transmission and reception of energy. The physical principles of spin resonance are discussed in Part I. Spin relaxation and pulse sequences will be examined in Part II and III. A selected bibliography directs the reader to a more detailed discussion of the pertinent physics.