Hardware of MRI System

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is comprehensively applied in modern medical diagnosis and scientific research for its superb soft-tissue imaging quality and non-radiating characteristics. Main magnet, gradient assembly, and radio-frequency (RF) assembly are main hardware in an MRI system. The hardware performance has direct relationship with the ultimate system overall performance. The development of MRI system toward high magnetic field strength will acquire high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and resolution, and meanwhile the manufacture difficulty of main magnet, gradient assembly, and RF assembly will also be significantly elevated. This will make challenges on the design, materials, primitive device, and also the whole machine assembly. This chapter introduces the main hardware of the MRI system and corresponding functions and developments