Eddy currents are small electric currents induced by rapid gradient oscillations. The eddy currents cause magnetic gradients to develop more slowly and to persist for longer duration than intended by the pulse sequence design. These effects may distort the image or accelerate dephasing and lead to signal loss. The signal loss may exhibit a complex pattern if there is interference between spin echoes and stimulated echoes. Eddy currents also may cause misalignment of the planes of the excitation and refocusing pulses, leading to non-uniform signal intensity across the image.