The MRI reference you open at the console
Every protocol with the reason for each sequence. Dynamic studies step by step. Artifacts and their fixes. Scanner problems you can solve before you call the engineer. In English and Arabic.
One payment of (about SAR). You get the PDF in two editions and the interactive tool.
One technique, three names
What is inside
Nine sections. Each entry says what the thing is for, how it works, and what happens when you change it.
- 31
Protocols
Neuro, spine, musculoskeletal, abdomen and pelvis, breast, cardiac and vascular. Each one gives the indications, the set-up, the sequences with the reason for each, contrast, and practical points.
- 9
Dynamic study timelines
The eight steps from dry run to documentation, how to calculate the start delay, a timeline for each of nine examinations, and eight failure cases with what to do.
- 16
Scanner problems
Likely causes, what to try in order, and when to call service. With the software restart on GE, Siemens and Philips.
- 19
Artifacts
How each one looks, why it happens, how to fix it, and what the fix costs you.
- 17
Sequence guides
What is bright, what the sequence is for, and what can mislead you.
- 55
Vendor names
Sequences, angiography, acceleration and parameter names on GE, Philips and Siemens.
- 18
Parameters
The purpose, how it works, the trade-off when you change it, and a practical tip.
- 8
Concepts in plain words
k-space, weighting, why ghosts follow the phase direction, inversion recovery, diffusion and more.
- 15
Safety and preparation topics
Zones, screening, implants, SAR and burns, quench, pregnancy, gadolinium, and a final check before Zone IV.
Read a page before you pay
Two entries exactly as they appear in the reference.
The eight steps
- Prepare before the patient lies down
- Finish everything that contrast would spoil
- Run the dynamic sequence once without contrast: the dry run (mask)
- Fix problems now, then freeze the set-up
- Choose how you will time the scan
- Inject and start the clock together
- Check each phase as it appears
- Finish and document
Start delay = target time − time from scan start to the centre of k-space. Begin the breathing command about 5 seconds before the start.
Example: you want the late arterial phase at 35 s. The scan lasts 16 s with linear ordering, so its centre is at 8 s. Start the scan at 35 − 8 = 27 s and begin the breathing command at about 22 s. With centric ordering the same scan would start at 35 s.
In the reference each step is explained in full, followed by nine examination timelines and eight failure cases.
Fat suppression suppresses water, or does nothing
The scanner set its centre frequency on the fat peak instead of the water peak. This happens where fat dominates (breast, large patients) and where the field is uneven. Fat sits about 220 Hz below water at 1.5 T and about 440 Hz below at 3 T. Silicone gives a third peak next to fat.
- Open manual prescan and look at the spectrum: two peaks, water on the left, fat on the right in the usual display
- Move the cursor to the water peak and accept
- Repeat the shim with the volume on tissue
- If it still fails, switch to Dixon or STIR
Not a service problem unless fat suppression fails on the phantom.
One of 16 scanner problems.
Two formats in one purchase
Interactive tool
- Search every section at once
- Switch the sequence names to your vendor
- English or Arabic with one tap
- Compare scan time and SNR before you change a protocol
- One file that opens in the browser. No account, no installation
PDF guide
- English edition, 65 pages. Arabic edition, 66 pages
- A4, ready to print for the control room
- The same content as the tool, in reading order
- References listed at the end
Who it is for
- Technologists in their first years who want the reason behind each step
- Technologists moving to a scanner from another vendor
- Students and interns in radiologic technology
- Radiology residents who want to know what the technologist does and why
What it is not
- It does not replace your department's protocols or the radiologist's request
- It is not vendor documentation and not a physics textbook
- It does not clear an implant: always check the manufacturer's conditions
What it was checked against
Version 2.0 was reviewed in November 2026 against published guidance. Where a protocol follows a guideline, the guideline is named under it. The full reference list is at the end of the PDF.
- ACR Manual on MR Safety 2024
- ACR Manual on Contrast Media
- IEC 60601-2-33 Ed. 4
- ASTM F2503
- PI-RADS v2.1
- LI-RADS v2018
- EUSOBI breast MRI
- SCMR 2020
- MAGNIMS–CMSC–NAIMS 2021
- ILAE HARNESS-MRI
- ESGAR rectal 2018
- ESGAR/ESPR 2017
- ASAS–SPARTAN 2024
Protocols are not universal. They differ from one hospital to another and from one radiologist to another, and they change with the scanner, the coil, the software version and the clinical question. What is written here is one common way of doing each examination that agrees with the published guidance listed in the references. It does not have to match your department, and it does not replace your department's approved protocol or the radiologist's request.
Free pages from the reference
Twelve entries you can read in full.
- MRI sequence names on GE, Philips and Siemens
- Dynamic contrast MRI step by step: dry run, injection and arterial phase timing
- Fat suppression failed or suppressed water: causes and fixes
- Magic angle artifact in MRI: how to recognise it and confirm it
- Why MRI ghosts follow the phase-encoding direction
- Aliasing (wrap-around) in MRI: cause and fixes
- Knee MRI protocol: the sequences and the reason for each
- STIR or fat sat: which fat suppression to use
- DWI, the ADC map and T2 shine-through
- MRI scan will not start: what to check before calling service
- SAR limit reached: how to get the sequence to run
- k-space explained for MRI technologists
Questions
Which language is it in?
Both. You get an English edition and an Arabic edition of the PDF, and the tool switches between them. Technical terms stay in English in both, as they appear on the scanner.
Is this official material from GE, Philips or Siemens?
No. It is an independent reference. For anything that depends on your software version, the operator manual of your scanner comes first.
Will the protocols match my hospital?
Not necessarily. Protocols differ between hospitals and between radiologists. The reference gives one common way of doing each examination and the reason behind each sequence, so you understand your own protocol better.
Does it cover 3 T?
Parameter values are typical starting points at 1.5 T. Where 3 T behaves differently, the text says so, and one section compares 1.5 T with 3 T.
How do I receive it?
You download the files right after payment, and the download link is also sent to your email.
What if I find a mistake?
Tell me and I will check it against the source and correct it. Buyers get the corrected files of version 2 at no cost.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. If the reference is not useful to you, ask within 7 days of buying and you get your money back.
Corrections and questions: