MRI
This topic will help you understand the MRI procedure and how to prepare for it.
What Is anMRIMRI procedure?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of imaging test that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains a magnet for imaging, where you lie inside the tube during the examination for about half an hour.
Some MRI scans involve a dye given intravenously, which makes certain tissues and blood vessels appear more clearly and with more detail.
When Is anMRIMRI Performed?
MRI is performed to determine the appropriate diagnosis or monitor treatment for many different health conditions. There are different types of MRI used depending on the body area the doctor needs to examine.
- Here are some examples of using an MRI scanner:
- Diagnosing health conditions in the brain and spinal cord.
- Tumors, cysts, and others in different parts of the body.
- Breast cancer screening for women at risk.
- Injuries or abnormalities in joints, such as the back and knee.
- Certain types of heart problems.
- Liver diseases and other abdominal organs.
Evaluating pelvic pain in women, with causes including fibroids and endometriosis.
How to Prepare for an MRI Procedure?
- Before the procedure, inform your doctor and the MRI technologist if you have any of the following:
- If you use a pacemaker or defibrillator.
- Stimulators or electronic or implanted devices, including deep brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, bladder stimulators, spinal stimulators, neurostimulators, electrodes, or implanted wires.
- If you have a prosthetic limb.
- If you have a cochlear implant.
- If you use implanted medication pumps, such as those that deliver pain medication or medications for spasticity.
- If you use filters, such as blood clot filters.
