What is a common occurrence when there is motion during an MRI scan?

• A. Phase cancellation artifact
• B. Increased resolution artifact
• C. Ghosting artifact
• D. Ring artifact

Answer: (C)

Motion during an MRI scan can lead to a phenomenon known as ghosting artifact. This artifact occurs when the movement of the patient causes inconsistencies in the spatial encoding of the MRI signal. Essentially, when a patient moves during the scan, it can result in repetitions of the original signals being detected at non-expected locations, leading to the appearance of additional images or "ghosts" that mirror the actual structures being imaged. This can obscure the quality of the final image being produced, making it difficult to interpret the anatomical details clearly.

Ghosting artifacts are particularly noticeable when the motion is periodic, such as with breathing, where each breath introduces similar inconsistencies across the images. The resolution can remain the same, but the clarity is compromised due to the presence of these additional images. Therefore, recognizing and mitigating motion during the scanning process is crucial for obtaining high-quality MRI results.