Whole-body nuclear magnetic resonance imaging: The first report of its use in surgical practice

Abstract

This is the first report of whole-body nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging being of value in clinical surgery. Following aortobifemoral grafting, a 54-year-old man developed a pyrexia and hypotension which did not respond to antibiotic therapy and which was thought to be caused by early graft infection. Whole-body NMR imaging showed the graft and iliac arteries to be normal and an empyema of the gallbladder to be present, NMR imaging is a safe, non-invasive technique for imaging the body in transverse sections and specifically measures the water concentration of tissues, enabling normal and inflamed tissues to be differentiated.