A BANDWIDTH INDICATOR FOR MAGNETIC-RESONANCE IMAGERS

Signal-to-noise ratios in magnetic resonance imaging are crucial in de termining image quality, and dependent on a number of factors, one bei ng the signal bandwidth per pixel. Not all manufacturers clearly state the bandwidth per pixel used for all sequences. A small battery-power ed portable device is described which produces bright sharp lines on t he magnetic resonance image at 10 kHz intervals in the frequency encod ing direction. The bandwidth per pixel can then easily be calculated u sing electronic distance callipers, provided the image matrix and fiel d of view are known. The device is expected to be especially of value when acceptance testing on poorly documented imaging systems. (C) 1997 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.