Design and construction of 'SUMRIS' - the Sydney University Magnetic Resonance Imaging System

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a highly versatile medical imaging modality which uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to obtain the spatial distribution of a combination of tissue-dependent NMR parameters. The NMR Imaging Group at the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney, has carried out a number of investigations into various aspects of magnetic resonance imaging, primarily in signal processing and image formation algorithms. To enable further development of these and other techniques it was found necessary to construct SUMRIS - the Sydney University Magnetic Resonance Imaging System, a flexible imaging and spectroscopy experimental facility. The appropriate design strategy adopted was to start by building a simple NMR apparatus and expand it in steps, progressing towards a complete imaging and spectroscopy system.