So you’re at the hospital getting your annual physical exam and your doctor orders a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which she says you must undergo because she needs to see if there's anything wrong with your internal organs. You step out of the doctor’s clinic imagining scenes straight out of Grey’s Anatomy with doctors and nurses taking photos of your uterus or making you swallow a pill-sized camera so they can see what’s inside. What exactly is an MRI, and what happens during the procedure? Let FN help you calm those nerves by telling you what to expect when you go in for an MRI scan.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
An MRI, according to RadiologyInfo.org, is a non-invasive medical test that “allows physicians to better evaluate various parts of the body and determine the presence of certain diseases that may not be assessed adequately with other imaging methods such as x-ray, ultrasound or computed tomography (also called CT or CAT scanning).”
In an interview with FN, Gina Bates, an MRI technologist who has been working in the radiology field for over 21 years, says that people get an MRI scan for various reasons. “Some of the more common exams we do are for [patients who have experienced] headaches or strokes or dizziness, blurred vision, hearing problems, and seizures.” Other patients, according to Gina, were asked by their physicians to go through the scan because they experienced pain, numbness, or tingling in their hands and feet—a scan is usually requested for these cases to see if there is something wrong with the nerves or spine.
PRE-MRI
Most MRI procedures do not require fasting but for some procedures, like the pelvic or abdominal MRI scan, the patient is advised not to eat or drink for at least 5 hours before the procedure. In instances where a contrast dye is to be used (to help produce clearer images on the scan), patients are given a fasting order by their doctors.
Patients will be asked to fill out medical forms asking them about allergies, previous operations, and other medical conditions. Patients will be asked to change into a hospital gown and instructed to remove accessories and items of clothing which contain metal. Finally she’ll be asked to lie on a flat panel bed, which will then slide inside the machine.
DURING THE SCAN
Karey Albaugh, an MRI technologist at the Tomball Regional Hospital, advises patients to remain very still during the procedure as the MRI machine is very sensitive to motion. The scan may take around 30 minutes. “But if a doctor orders multiple parts of the body to be scanned, it could take hours!” she says. But “the exam itself is not painful,” she guarantees. A headphone or a set of earphones will also be given to patients so they can drown out the noise of the machine and listen to music during the procedure.
Despite the restriction of being asked to remain perfectly still during the procedure, a patient’s comfort is still paramount. Letting the MRI technician know if you’re too warm, too cold, or simply uncomfortable is encouraged. The more comfortable you are, the more quickly the procedure gets done.
POST-MRI
After the technologists make sure that the scan is complete and perfect, the images taken will be sent to the radiologist, who then reads the images and produces a report. The results with the report are finally sent to the requesting physician, and you can expect to receive feedback within three to five days. Also, no special care instructions are necessary unless prescribed by your doctor.
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(Photo by BrokenSpehere via WikimediaCommons)
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