MRI is the most advanced imaging method used in the field of medicine. Since its invention, researchers and doctors have refined its techniques to aid in research and medical procedures. The development of MRI revolutionized medicine, and in recent years, it has become an increasingly common procedure around the world as costs decrease. Thanks to it, doctors can diagnose a disease that isn’t readily evident.
Do you have a patient that needs an MRI scan, or has your doctor recommended an MRI exam for you? You need to ensure that an experienced radiologist conducts the test to obtain the best possible outcome. If you wish to undergo the scan in LA, CA, reach out to Los Angeles Diagnostics clinic. We have expert radiologists who provide high-quality medical care to our patients. For several years, we’ve served thousands of patients with affordable MRI screening, and the better part of it is that we use the latest-advanced equipment to obtain the best possible results.
MRI Overview
MRI stands for Magnetic Imaging Resonance. It’s a medical imaging technique that uses a computer, radio waves, and a powerful magnetic to form comprehensive images of body organs and tissues. Your physician may use this technique to determine how well you are doing with a given treatment or diagnose an illness. Unlike CT (Computed Tomography) scans and X-rays, MRIs do not use the harmful ionizing radiation utilized in x-rays.
A typical MRI machine (scanner) is a large tube surrounded by a giant circular magnet and with a hole at both ends. You lie on a table that slides into the tube. If the radiologist uses a short-bore scanner, then your entire body won’t go into the machine— only the body part that’s to be scanned goes inside while the rest of the body is outside the machine.
When you’re inside the tube, the powerful magnet temporarily realigns the body’s water molecules. Radio waves then make the aligned molecules to generate faint signals used to form cross-sectional images, like bread slices.
An open MRI machine is open on both ends, while a closed MRI scanner has one end closed. The open machine may be the best your radiologist can use if you fear tight spaces, a condition known as claustrophobia, or are very overweight. However, the quality of images generated by open MRI machines is not as good as closed MR machines.
MRI machines can also generate 3D images, which the doctor can view from several different angles.
Why It Is Done
Magnetic Imaging Resonance is a non-invasive means for your physician to examine body tissues, skeletal system, nervous system, and organs. It generates high-resolution body structure images that aid the doctor in diagnosing different problems such as an injury or a disease. It can also be conducted when your doctor wants to see how well you are responding to the treatment you are undergoing. MRI can be performed on different body parts as follows:
MRI of Joints and Bones
MRI helps evaluate bone infections, soft tissue and bone tumors, spine disk abnormalities, damage to joints, cancer, low back and neck pain with nerve signs, and joint abnormalities resulting from repetitive or traumatic injuries, for instance, torn ligaments or cartilage.
MRI of Blood Vessels and the Heart
MRI of blood vessels and the heart assesses:
- The heart walls’ movement and thickness
- The function and size of the chambers of the heart
- Blockages/inflammation of blood vessels
- Degree of damage resulting from heart disease/heart attacks
- Heart structure-related problems such as aortic dissection or aortic aneurysms
MRI of the Spinal Cord and Brain
MRI scan is the most frequently conducted imaging exam of the spinal cord and brain. It is usually done to help the doctor diagnose:
- Multiple sclerosis
- The inner ear and eye disorders
- Aneurysms of cerebral vessels
- Spine disorders
- Tumors
- Brian injury caused by trauma
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Blood vessel damage
A special kind of MRI of the brain is the fMRI (functional MRI). This form of MRI maps brain activity. For instance, it assesses blood flow to various brain parts to determine what parts are active when carrying out given tasks. It can also be utilized to study the brain’s structure and establish which brain parts control critical functions. This helps to identify crucial movement and language control zones in the brain of a person who ought to undergo brain surgery.
fMRI is also helpful in assessing damage from disorders like Alzheimer’s disease or a head injury, evaluating the effects of a stroke or other illnesses, and guiding brain treatment. It can detect abnormalities within the brain that can’t be detected with other imaging techniques.
MRI of Breasts
Magnetic Imaging Resonance could be used alongside mammography to determine whether a patient has breast cancer, especially in women with dense breast tissues or the ones who may be at an increased risk of the illness.
MRI of Other Organs in the Body
MRI may also be conducted to examine the general health of several organs in the body and detect tumors and other abnormalities. These organs include kidneys, liver and bile ducts, pancreas, spleen, prostate, ovaries, and uterus.
Preparing for MRI
Before the MRI exam, continue taking your prescribed medications and eat as usual unless instructed otherwise. Also, inform your physician if:
- You’ve undergone surgery recently.
- You have health issues such as liver/kidney disease.
- You’re pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
- You’re allergic to any medicine or food or asthmatic.
Generally, the radiologist will need you to put on a gown then remove anything that may impact the magnetic field. These things include hairpins, jewelry, watch, eyeglasses, wig, hearing aid, dentures, cosmetic that contains metal particles, underwire bra, coins, cellphone, and keys.
What to Expect During and After MRI
The following is what happens at the time of and after the MRI procedure:
During the Procedure
We mentioned that the MRI scanner resembles a large, narrow long tube with its ends open. You’ll lie on a moveable table, which will slide into the tube’s opening. All this time, a technologist will be monitoring you from a separate room. You could talk with them via a microphone. In case you have claustrophobia, your doctor may give you a drug that will help you be less anxious and feel sleepy. Most patients undergo this exam without any difficulty.
The scanner creates a powerful magnetic field around you, and radio waves are directed at your body. A computer captures the signals from the MRI and uses them to generate a series of images. Each image shows a thin slice of your body. This process is painless and non-invasive. You won’t feel the radio waves or magnetic field, and there aren’t any moving parts near you.
During this process, the internal magnetic part produces repetitive thumping, tapping, and other sounds. The sounds are the scanner generating energy to capture images of the inside of your body. You may request headphones or earplugs to help prevent you from hearing the noises. You may experience muscle twitching during the exam, which occurs as the scanner stimulates the nerves. It is a common occurrence; thus, you shouldn’t worry.
In certain situations, contrast dye (gadolinium) is injected via an IV (intravenous) line in a vein in your arm or hand. The dye enhances various details, helping your doctor see structures in the body more clearly, and it is unlikely to cause allergic reactions. However, one of the dye’s side effects is that it can leave a metal taste in your mouth.
A Magnetic Imaging Resonance exam should last twenty to ninety minutes based on which body part is undergoing scanning and the number of images required. You have to stay still since movement could blur resulting images. Straps may be used to help you achieve stillness. And as we mentioned earlier, your whole body may be in the scanner or only the body part undergoing scanning.
If the images aren’t clear enough for the radiologist to analyze after the first MRI scan, they may need you to undergo another scan right away.
When it comes to an fMRI, you may be required to do several small tasks, like answering simple questions, rubbing a block of sandpaper, or tapping your thumb against your fingers. This helps identify the parts of the brain that handle these activities.
After the Exam
If you were not sedated, you’re allowed to go back home after the test and resume your day-to-day activities right away. And if you were sedated, you will remain in the clinic until you are fully awake. You will also need somebody to take you home.
MRI Results
After the test, the radiologist analyzes the images generated by the MRI machine and reports their findings to your medical provider. The doctor will then discuss the results with you and explain what you should do next.
MRI Risk Factors/Contraindications
Since radiation isn’t used, there’s no risk of exposure to radiation during an MRI scan. However, some conditions make undergoing an MRI scan highly risky, and therefore, the scan may not be recommended. General contraindications of an MRI procedure include:
Metallic Implants and Foreign Bodies
MRI uses a strong magnetic field. Therefore, any metal present in your body that attracts the magnet could translate to a safety hazard. Even if it doesn’t attract the magnet, a metallic object can distort MRI images. Before undergoing an MRI, you will likely fill a questionnaire that requires you to indicate whether there are any electronic or metallic devices in your body. Except if the device in your body is approved to be MRI-safe, MRI may not be recommended for you. Devices include:
- A pacemaker
- Intrauterine device
- Shrapnel, bullet, or any given form of metal fragment
- Cochlear implants
- Metal plates, screws, pins, surgical staples, or stents
- Metal clips
- An implanted nerve stimulator
- An implanted drug infusion pump
- An implantable heart defibrillator
- Artificial heart valves
- Metallic prostheses
- Fillings and other dental work
- Body piercings
- Loop recorders
- Insulin pumps
Permanent Makeup or Tattoos
If you have permanent makeup or tattoos, inquire from your physician whether they may affect the MRI. Some of the darker inks used to draw these tattoos and permanent cosmetics contain metal, which, by interacting with the magnetic field, can cause sensations of swelling, heat, burns, or irritation during the exam. However, tattoos or cosmetics need not be MRI contraindications as long as appropriate precautions are taken. For instance, the radiologist can place a cold compress/ice pack over the tattoo or makeup before exposing you to the scan.
Claustrophobia Condition
If you have even slight claustrophobia, you might find it hard to withstand long scan periods inside the MRI machine. Therefore this exam may not be recommended. However, in a case where you must take the test, familiarizing yourself with the scanner and process, sedation, anesthesia, and visualization techniques may provide you with ways to beat your discomfort. Other mechanisms that could help you cope include covering or closing the eyes, watching a movie or video, and listening to music. An open MRI machine was designed to accommodate claustrophobic patients. It’s open on both sides instead of just one end, so it doesn’t fully enclose the patient.
Pregnancy or Breastfeeding
Whereas there’s no proof of harming a fetus, it’s recommended that pregnant women avoid MRI scans as a precaution, particularly in the first trimester when the fetus’s organs are forming. Additionally, if contrast agents are used, they could enter the fetus’s bloodstream. Thus, you must tell your doctor if you’re pregnant or think you may be pregnant. The doctor may suggest an alternative test or postpone the MRI. Also, inform your physician if you are breastfeeding, especially if you are to receive contrast agents during the test.
Severe Kidney Failure
A patient with severe kidney failure, who requires dialysis, risks a rare but severe disease known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. This disease may be linked to the use of given gadolinium-containing agents like gadodiamide. Thus, your doctor may examine your kidney function before the exam. Even though a causal link hasn’t been established, current U.S guidelines recommend that any dialysis patient should only receive gadolinium agents when necessary. They also recommend that dialysis be conducted immediately after the MRI scan to expel the agent in the body.
MRI Side Effects
Patients rarely experience side effects from an MRI scan. But when they do, they include:
- Allergic reaction due to contrast dye— we mentioned that gadolinium helps the radiologist see what is happening and is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. However, some people do experience the reaction. The good news is there are steps physicians take to treat them. Contrast dye can also cause headaches, nausea, hives or itchy eyes, and a burning or pain at the injected area in given patients. Therefore, you should inform your doctor if you are allergic to contrast dye before taking the test.
- Contrast dye may remain in the body— there is a possibility a small amount of gadolinium may remain in the body and accumulate in your brain or other body organs. It isn’t yet clear if this accumulation is dangerous.
- Loud noise— Loud noise, commonly known as beeping and clicking, and the sound intensity of up to 120 decibels in some MRI scanners may need you to have special ear protection lest it damages your ears.
- Nerve stimulation— a twitching sensation sometimes arises due to the rapidly switched magnetic fields in the MRI.
Despite the possible side effects linked to gadolinium, it continues to be used. The U.S FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) has not restricted its use.
MRI for Children
MRI is possibly the most sophisticated imaging technique for minors because, unlike CT scans, it doesn’t have ionizing radiation that could be harmful. But among the challenges radiologists face is, obtaining clear images, especially when the patient is a minor or has an ailment that hinders them from remaining still for prolonged periods. Consequently, most children have to be anesthetized, which elevates the health risk for the patient.
Research is ongoing to attempt to design a strong pediatric MRI. By developing a pediatric coil explicitly designed for small bodies, the images can be captured quickly and clearly, and the machine would need less operator expertise. This would make MRI exams safer, cheaper, and more available to minors. The faster motion and imaging compensation would be beneficial to adult patients, too.
Contact an Experienced Radiologist Near Me
If your doctor has recommended that you do an MRI scan, do not panic. It is just but a painless and quick procedure, especially if you have an experienced radiologist, like the ones we have at Los Angeles Diagnostics, performing it. We invite you to contact us if you wish to take your MRI test in Los Angeles.
Our services are dedicated to providing you with an excellent care level, and we offer them in a friendly and personalized environment. We value the relationship our patients have established with us and the confidence they’ve entrusted in us to conduct MRI screening. Call us today at 323-486-7502 to learn more about MRI scans or schedule a consultation. We are available 24/7 to attend to your needs.
