RF shielding for MRI rooms is necessary to prevent

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the u ...

from entering into the

MRI scanner Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique mostly used in radiology and nuclear medicine in order to investigate the anatomy and physiology of the body, and to detect pathologies including tumors, inflammation, neurological ...

and distorting the image. The three main types of shielding used for MRIs are copper, steel, and aluminum. Copper is generally considered the best shielding for MRI rooms. RF shielding should not be confused with

magnetic shielding In electrical engineering, electromagnetic shielding is the practice of reducing or redirecting the electromagnetic field (EMF) in a space with barriers made of conductive or magnetic materials. It is typically applied to enclosures, for isolat ...

, which is used to prevent the magnetic field of the MRI magnet from interfering with

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

s and other equipment outside of the MRI room. After the MRI room has been completely shielded, all utility services such as electrical for lights, air conditioning, fire sprinklers and other penetrations into the room must be routed through specialized filters provided by the RF shielding vendor.

References

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Electromagnetism {{MRI-stub