The bigger picture - [engineering wellness]

It is unlikely anyone undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan would describe the experience as pleasant. Having to lie very still in a narrow tube for anything up to an hour, while the machine loudly bangs its way through the scanning procedure, is hardly fun. However, claustrophobia and a tight squeeze could soon become problems of the past as more of the latest generation of 'open' scanners, with very wide bores or completely open gaps for the patient, appear in clinics around the world. These systems also offer the potential for MRI-guided surgery.