Catherine has taught and examined on many national and international courses, including undergraduate and postgraduate MRI programmes. She was involved in the development of the first reporting course for MRI radiographers and the first undergraduate course for assistant practitioners in MRI.
Catherine is the lead author of several best‐selling and award‐winning textbooks, including MRI in Practice, Handbook of MRI Technique and MRI at a Glance, and many peer‐reviewed research papers. She has been part of several international educational collaborations including the British Association of MR Radiographers (president), the Consortium for the Accreditation of Clinical MR Education (chairperson) and the British Institute of Radiology (honorary secretary), and has also collaborated on the ScanLabMR project. She is co‐founder of The MRI Education Company with her long‐standing colleague John Talbot.
Anne Bright, B.App.Sc. Grad Dip MRI, ASMIRT Level 2 MRI Accreditation, MRSOTM
Anne has worked in MRI for 25 years in both metropolitan and regional facilities developing a strong interest in MRI, quality processes and workplace culture. Qualifying as a diagnostic radiographer in Australia in 1991 she began working in MRI in 1995. Successfully completing the Australian Institute of Radiography Level 1 MRI Accreditation at the first offering of the examination in 1998, Anne went on to complete her Graduate Diploma in MRI in 2002. She attained her Level 2 MRI Accreditation the same year and has retained the qualification every three years since then.
Between 2008 and 2010, Anne researched MRI positioning and scan alignment, publishing the textbook Planning and Positioning in MRI in 2010. She has since contributed to publications both online and in print including Psychology for Health Professionals. She has also collaborated on the ScanLabMR project. Anne successfully completed the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety examination to become a Magnetic Resonance Safety Officer in 2018 and is actively involved with the Society for MR Radiographers and Technologists (SMRT) having recently been accepted as a representative on the Membership Committee and the ANZ SMRT conference planning committee. Anne currently works as the chief medical imaging technologist at Goulburn Valley Health. She continues to be actively involved in MRI practice, allied health practitioner education and development, and as an advocate for skills development among radiographers and other allied health practitioners.
Vera Kimbrell, BSRT (MR)(R)
Vera is an American MR technologist and educator with 40 years of experience in the radiology field. Educated and trained in Arkansas, Vera spent the majority of her career working and training technologists in Massachusetts. Utilizing new software and hardware in challenging environments has been a rewarding and fulfilling part of her career. Currently residing in North Carolina, Vera is now employed as a CV technologist at Duke University Hospital. She teaches as an adjunct professor for MCPHS’s MRI programmes and enjoys writing and lecturing about MRI in professional organizations such as the SMRT. Vera has held many roles in the SMRT and is now a member of the safety committee. MRI is a lifelong vocation and hobby for her, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education.
Elizabeth Lorusso, RT(R)(MR), B Appl Sc., MRSO (MRSCT)
Liz has enjoyed being an MR technologist with over 30 years of clinical experience in London, Ontario, Canada. Liz has also had the privilege of developing, coordinating and teaching in an MR programme for the past 15 years. Volunteering in various capacities in the profession has been very rewarding, most recently in an executive role for the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT).
Bac Nguyen, BSc, B.App.Sc.
Bac is from Norway and has a broad clinical MRI background. He performed his first MRI scan in 2006 on a 0.3T scanner and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Radiography in 2008 and post‐graduate degrees in Digital Medicine Post Processing in 2009 and MRI in 2012. Bac has worked at Oslo University Hospital, Norway since 2009. He is lead MRI technologist in charge of several scanners and teaches practitioners new to MRI. Bac has given many MRI presentations in Norway, at international conferences and for specific vendors. He is also a consultant applications specialist for Bayer and Aristra.
Sara Sullivan, BSc, BHS, RT(R)(MR), MRSO (MRSCTM)
Sara is currently working as an MR technologist at a women and children’s hospital in Nova Scotia, Canada. Sara began her career in the radiography in 2000. Sara has experience in scanning patients of all sizes, including foetal, neonatal, children with or without anaesthesia, teenagers, and adults. Sara has been a preceptor in the clinical environment for many MRI students over the years and has also volunteered with CAMRT for over 10 years. Sara is a certified MR safety officer and has created MR safety presentations for her hospital and a virtual lecture on MR safety for the CAMRT.
Preface
The Handbook of MRI Technique has, for many years, been an established text for many MRI practitioners, colleges and MRI schools around the world. MRI in Practice (also published by Wiley Blackwell) provides MRI practitioners with a user‐friendly approach to MRI physics. The Handbook of MRI Technique is its practical companion and is intended as a guide to MRI scanning techniques and protocols. Its main aim is to help MRI practitioners of all kinds optimize protocols, improve image quality and recognize and rectify common artefacts.
In this, the fifth edition, it has been my intention to continue with the objectives of previous editions but update the reader on recent techniques and to expand certain chapters. Experienced MRI practitioners from the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe have made important contributions to reflect these advances and their practice. This is truly an international collaboration and, I hope, takes some small steps towards standardization of MRI practice.
The book is split into two parts. Part 1 summarizes the main aspects of theory that relate to clinical practice. Chapters on pulse sequences, cardiac gating, patient care and safety, and contrast agents have been expanded and updated. Part 1 also includes practical tips on equipment, protocol parameters and artefacts.
Part 2 includes a step‐by‐step guide to examining each anatomical area. It covers most of the common techniques and now includes sections on bowel and prostate imaging. Other examination areas have been updated to include techniques such as spectroscopy and there is a new chapter dedicated to paediatric imaging.
Under each examination area, categories such as common indications, patient positioning, equipment, suggested protocols, protocol optimization and artefacts are included. Guidance on contrast usage is also provided and all chapters also contain key facts and diagrams showing main anatomical structures. The fifth edition also includes a new section specifically related to slice prescription criteria with new localizer images (kindly supplied by ScanLabMR) and many new clinical images are provided. The accompanying website consists of questions and flashcards to enable readers to test their knowledge.
This new edition of the Handbook of MRI Technique is designed for all MRI practitioners regardless of their experience of MRI procedures. However, it is especially beneficial to those technologists studying for board certification or for others undertaking clinical MRI courses. The contributing authors and I hope that this new edition achieves these goals. Happy reading!
Dr Catherine Westbrook