Magnetic Resonance Microscopy (MRM, µMRI) is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at a microscopic level. A strict definition is MRI having voxel resolutions of better than 100 µm³ [1].
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Magnetic resonance Microscopy is a term to refer to very high resolution MRI images (<10 micrometres in some cases). The term is most widely used by the High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging group from Duke University, headed by Dr. G. Allan Johnson.
Although MRI is very common for medical applications, MRM is still developed in laboratories. The major barriers for practical MRM include:
Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM) has nm³-scale resolutions. It improves the sensitivity issue by introducing microfabricated cantilever to measure tiny signals. The magnetic gradient is generated by a micrometre-scale magnetic tip, yielding a typical gradient 10 million times larger than those of clinical systems. This technique is still in the beginning stage. Because the specimen need to be in high vacuum at cryogenic temperatures, MRFM can be only used for solid state matters.