Magnetic Resonance Imaging Simulator

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most powerful medical imaging modalities available. From an educational perspective, MRI faces a difficult challenge. Operating an MRI scanner is a complicated task due to the fact that it is based on advanced concepts borrowed from physics. A large number of parameters are involved and hands-on training for practitioners is usually scarce due to the high costs of the equipment and the increasing clinical demands, which make MRI scanners intensively exploited facilities. In this context, the development of computerized simulations for MRI seems a natural alternative. This chapter reports an actual experience on the creation and evolution of an MRI simulator for educational purposes, thus obtaining an increasingly refined set of functional and usability requirements that such a system must fulfill in order to make an impact in MRI education, quantifying the usefulness of the simulator in realistic settings and providing technological solutions and strategies to overcome its limitations.