What is the difference between an MRI and a Cat Scan?
With a CT, x-rays are sent through the body, one slice at a time. The computer can then construct the information and create images of the body. MRI involves sending safe levels of electromagnetic waves, such as those used in radio transmission, in a safe magnetic environment. The body then sends out tiny radio waves back to a computer recorder. The different cells in the body can then in turn create their own signal with each molecule having its own radio frequency. The computer can tell the minute differences between the wavelengths of the radio waves and using that information can create an image of the body, one slice at a time. Because each uses an entirely different technique for imaging the body, the images show different characteristics of the body’s anatomy and the diseases that affect them.
