Description:Magnetic resonance imaging provides superior soft tissue contrast and the ability to image in multiple planes without exposing patients to ionizing radiation. MRI is well established for the workup of diseases of the central nervous system and is now becoming a primary tool for studying musculoskeletal, gynaecologic, prostatic, and hepatic disease. This is a reference for both radiologists and technologists, and the basic format of the 2nd edition remains unchanged: intense mathematical formalism has been minimized and the practial aspects of MR technology as it is used in the late-1990s are stressed. The second edition has been fully updated and improved to include techniques such as MR angiograpy: echo-planar, or "fast," MRI; MR spectroscopy and diffusion imaging. It features: expanded coverage of the number and range of clinical applications; and material on artifacts, contrast agents, and clinical protocols.