Skip to main content
This site will look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

QUESTIONS
» Equipment/QA

These questions are concerned MRI hardware and quality control of images.

« Question list

MRI Scanner Noises

Answer this...

What is the source of the loud noises heard during an MR scan?

The noise arises from the interaction of the gradient magnetic fields with the static magnetic field: the gradient coils are subject to a twisting force each time they are switched on and off. This results in a mechanical vibration in the "former" supporting the coils (it's a cylinder around which the coil is wound) and its mountings. They act as transducers and produce the loud sounds heard during an MRI scan. Those sounds are a loud humming and/or knocking.

Further reading on this topic:
Books: MRI From Picture to Proton p193
Online: MRIsafety.com, Kanal

« Back to Equipment/QA question list

 
(This page: http://www.revisemri.com/questions/equip_qa/scanner_noises)