What is the primary cause of susceptibility artefacts?

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The primary cause of susceptibility artefacts is related to the magnetization of tissues in a magnetic field. When imaging, variations in the magnetic susceptibility between different tissues can lead to local field inhomogeneities. This means that certain tissues, such as fat and air, have different magnetic properties compared to surrounding tissues like muscle or water.

When these differing magnetic susceptibilities are present, they create disruptions in the uniformity of the magnetic field. This can cause the precession frequency of protons in the magnetic field to vary, leading to phase mismatches that manifest as artefacts in the final image. These artefacts can appear as distortions or signal loss in areas near structures with significant differences in magnetic susceptibility.

Understanding this concept is crucial for MRI technicians, as susceptibility artefacts can affect the diagnostic quality of images and may require adjustments in imaging parameters or techniques to minimize their impact. Adjusting patient positioning or optimizing RF pulse sequences may help enhance image quality, but it is the inherent differences in tissue magnetization that fundamentally create these artefacts.

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