Some advantages of MRI include diagnosing strokes in their earliest stages; diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS); diagnosing brain and pituitary tumors; diagnosing brain, spine, or joint infections; visualizing torn ligaments in the wrist, knee and ankle (calculating the extent of sports injuries); visualizing shoulder injuries; diagnosing tendonitis; evaluating soft tissue masses of the abdomen & pelvis; evaluating bone tumors, cysts and the herniated discs in the spine; and assessing cancer progression and response to treatment.
The applications afford delivery of, but not limited to spin echo, fast spin echo, gradient echo, fast gradient echo and echo planar pulse sequences suites; time-of-flight and phase contrast angiograms.
Patient comfort and safety is very important to us and as such our staff is diligent and meticulous about our screening process. You may be asked about your surgical and occupational past. We pride ourselves on being extra sensitive to the needs of the claustrophobic patient.
Process: The duration of the procedure will vary but the average is 45 minutes to one hour per body part. You will be required to lie still during the actual MR scanning. Depending on the body part that is being examined, you may be instructed to hold your breath for up to 30 seconds. The magnet is permanently open on both ends. It is well lit and there is a fan for patient comfort. The part of the body being scanned will be placed in the middle of the magnet. During the actual imaging, you will hear a loud intermittent banging noise. You will be provided with earplugs or head phones to minimize the noise during the procedure. The technologist will also provide you with an alarm button to alert the technologist of any discomfort you may experience at any point during the MRI exam.