WEARING A MASK IS STILL REQUIRED IN PATIENT AREAS AT SUNNYBROOK. READ OUR VISITOR GUIDELINES »

Patient Education: Diseases Conditions Treatments & Procedures

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Introduction

A diagnostic technique using a magnetic field to produce pictures of structures inside the body  The MRI machine uses a very strong magnetic field and pulses of radio waves. The machine creates an image based on the way hydrogen atoms in your body react to the magnetic field and the radio waves. MRI signals can give an image of a single slice of any part of the body. Usually, images are created of several "slices" of an organ or part of the body. The MRI's computer also can combine these slices into three-dimensional (3-D) images.