Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI for short, is one of the most advanced methods for taking a look inside the human body – without surgery or harmful radiation.

What is an MRI?

Imagine you could flip through the body like a book and look at every page – i.e. every layer – without touching it. This is exactly what MRI makes possible. Instead of using X-rays like a CT scan, MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of organs, tissues and even bones. The special thing about it: MRI is completely radiation-free and therefore particularly gentle on the patient.

But how exactly does it work? Our body consists largely of water, and in this water are tiny particles called protons. These protons behave like small magnets. When you are placed in an MRI tube, a strong magnetic field directs these protons in a certain direction. Radio waves are then used to briefly move the protons out of alignment. As soon as the radio waves are switched off, the protons jump back to their original position and send out signals. These signals are picked up by the MRI machine and converted into images. Depending on the type of tissue – whether muscle, fat or bone – the protons send out different signals, which is why the MRI can provide such precise images.

Why is MRI so important as a supplement to laboratory medicine?

Laboratory medicine deals with the analysis of blood, urine and other body fluids in order to detect diseases or monitor health status. But sometimes these tests alone are not enough to make an accurate diagnosis. This is where MRI comes into play: it provides doctors and laboratory physicians with additional imaging information that helps to better understand and interpret the results of laboratory tests.

For example: If a blood test shows elevated liver values, this could indicate liver disease. But what exactly is the cause? Is it inflammation, a tumor or something else? Here, an MRI of the liver can provide detailed images that show whether there are changes in the tissue, such as fatty deposits, cysts or tumors. This allows laboratory physicians and doctors to work together to make a more precise diagnosis and develop the best treatment plan for the patient.

Another advantage of MRI is its ability to visualize soft tissues such as muscles, tendons and the brain particularly well. This is enormously helpful, for example, in the case of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis or sports injuries such as a torn cruciate ligament. MRI also plays an important role in cancer diagnostics, as it can detect tumors at an early stage and accurately assess their size and spread.

MRI in Germany: an indispensable tool

MRI has become an integral part of modern medicine in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were over 2,500 MRI machines in German hospitals and surgeries in 2021. This shows how widespread and important this technology is.

A major advantage of MRI is that it can be used not only for diagnosis, but also for monitoring diseases. For example, doctors can use regular MRI examinations to monitor the progress of treatment in cancer patients. Is the tumor shrinking? Is it spreading? Such questions can be answered reliably with MRI without unnecessarily stressing the patient.

MRI is also used intensively in research in Germany. New techniques such as functional MRI (fMRI), which can show brain activity in real time, or MRI spectroscopy, which measures chemical changes in tissue, are opening up more and more possibilities in combination with laboratory medicine. This means that diseases can be detected even earlier and better understood.

Outlook: The future of MRI

MRI technology is constantly evolving, and this also has an impact on laboratory medicine. In the future, even stronger magnetic fields or improved imaging techniques could enable even more detailed and faster examinations. The combination of MRI with artificial intelligence (AI) is also an exciting field: AI systems could help to automatically analyze MRI images and detect abnormalities, which would make the work of medical professionals easier and faster.

Conclusion

Magnetic resonance imaging is an indispensable tool in modern medicine. It makes it possible to examine the body in a gentle way and provides valuable information which, together with laboratory results, leads to more precise diagnoses and better treatments. MRI is widely used in Germany and is being continuously developed to help patients even better. Whether in the early detection of diseases, the monitoring of therapies or in research – MRI is a real all-rounder that enriches medicine in the long term.

Editorial office: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender note. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple references and gendered designations are avoided for the sake of better readability ected.