Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in medicine

Using the technique of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR, MR, MRI), the first images displaying pathology in humans were published in 1980.(1) Since then, there has been a rapid extension in the use of the technique, with an estimated 225 machines in use in the USA at the end of 1985.(2) Considerable enthusiasm has been expressed for this new imaging technique,(3) although awareness of its high cost in the present economic climate has led to reservations being expressed in other quarters.(2) The aim of this article is to give an outline of the present state of NMR, and indicate some possible future developments.