Test Prep
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MRI Test Prep |
What is MRI?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides physicians with a method of visualizing your internal body structures. This technology enables physicians to detect developing diseases or abnormalities earlier than ever before. Basically MRI involves a powerful but harmless magnetic field and radiowaves like the kind that transmit your favorite FM music. The combination of radio waves and magnetic field produces very clear images of body structures such as the brain, spine, knee, kidney, liver, blood vessels, heart and other important structures.
What Kinds of Machines Are Used to Perform MRI? Does MRI Hurt?
Your scan will be performed in a room containing a MRI machine. The MRI unit looks like a large box with an open-ended tunnel running through the middle. You will be asked to lie on a comfortable, padded table that is gently moved into the opening of the magnet where the scanning is performed. Sometimes a "coil", which is really just a special radio receiver, will be placed around the body part being scanned (your head, or knee, or stomach, etc.). The data from the scan is fed into computers which turns it into pictures that the physician will use to make a diagnosis. MRI itself is a painless procedure. To date, millions of patients have experienced MRI and the procedure has been proven to be extremely safe.
PLEASE
COMPLETE THE PATIENT QUESTIONNAIRE AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO YOUR APPOINTMENT:
Patient Questionnaire
for MR 
Is MRI For Everybody?
While the great majority of people can undergo an MRI exam with no problems, some cannot. The radiologist or the staff at the MRI center will probably ask you questions like the following:
Since the MRI scan involves the use of a powerful magnet you will be asked the following kinds of questions:
Remember that the questioning process is a two-way street. After providing all of the necessary information, feel free to air any concerns you may have about the upcoming examination. Don't be afraid to ask! Radiologists and technologists expect questions and part of their job is answering them.
What Happens the Day of the Exam?
You should allow about two hours for your MRI exam, although most scans take an hour or less. Unless your doctor or MRI department tells you otherwise, you can eat normally the day of the exam. Don't wear any makeup, since some brands contain metallic components. When you arrive at the MRI center, you will be asked to put on a patient gown and to remove all personal possessions such as your watch, wallet and car keys or metallic items such as dentures, pins, etc. It's very important not to take anything that could be affected by a magnet into the examining room. For example, the information on your credit cards will be erased if you have them in your pocket during the exam.
What Happens During the Actual Exam?
You will be escorted into the room containing the MRI unit by a technologist. You'll be asked to lie down on the padded table. Then the technologist will position you inside the magnet so that the appropriate part of your body is ready to be scanned. During the exam, you will be able to talk with the people conducting the exam by means of an intercom and they will be able to watch you through a glass window. You may hear very loud clanking and thumping sounds that the machine makes as the technologists adjust the radio frequencies and other controls. These sounds are completely normal. Sometimes, a radiologist, nurse or technologist may come into the scanning room to inject a fluid called an "enhancement agent." The agent is injected into a vein, usually in the arm. All you have to do during the exam is lie as still as possible. Very active children may require some relaxing medication (sedation) prior to the exam to help them stay still.
After the Procedure
After completing the exam, some computer analysis may be necessary to obtain the best possible images. The radiologist will send a report to your doctor after the images have been studied. It is best to ask your doctor for the exam results.
Scheduling
If you have any questions regarding MRI scheduling, please call (734) 936-4500.