Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging: current capabilities.

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging can produce tomographic images of the body without ionizing radiation. Images of the head, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities have been obtained and normal structures and pathology have been identified. Soft tissue contrast with this method is superior to that with x-ray computerized tomography and its spatial resolution is approaching that of x-ray computerized tomography. In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging enables us to image along the sagittal and coronal planes directly, and it does not produce obscuring artifacts by bone.