Our Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment detects vascular disease and problems in the head and neck, providing doctors the information they need for diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made, doctors can chart the best course of treatment.

Your doctor wants you to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. MRI is one of the newest developments in diagnostic imaging. It provides the very best images od your body's organs and structures without using x-rays. There are no known health risks to MRI.

FAQs

• Instead of using x-rays, MRI uses a powerful magnetic field and radio frequency waves. Many changes in tissue can be evaluated by MRI. This information will give doctors valuable information that is available by other diagnostic tests. 

• The body is made up of atoms. These atoms have a magnetic charge. When the body is placed in a strong magnetic field , these atoms tend to line up with the magnetic field. Radio waves (similar to those used for TV) are then sent into the body, which alters the alignment of the atoms. When the radio waves are stopped, the atoms generate a weak radio signal that the machine detects. These radio signals are then put into a computer. The result is an image that looks like the body's anatomy.

How Do You Prepare for an MRI?

• When you arrive at the MRI facilities we will ask you to fill out a simple information form. About your medical and surgical history. Please let us know immediately if:

  You could be pregnant

  Weigh over 350 pounds

  Have a cardiac pace maker

  Any type of implanted device

  Any type of metal shrapnel of fragment inside your body 

• You will also be asked to fill out and outpatient registration form with your current insurance and billing information. Remember to bring this information with you. 

• You may be asked to change into examination clothes, depending on your particular exam. A locker is provided for your clothes and belongings. 

• You will need to remove all metal items such as a watch, hairpins, jewelry, coins and credit cards from your body. Please leave valuable belongings at home. 

• We encourage you to bring a favorite CD or cassette tape to listen to during your exam. A special headset will be provided by the MRI department. 

• Please tell your technologist if you could be pregnant, or if you have any metal inside your body.

How is your MRI Study Done?

• During the MRI, you will lie on a padded table in the middle of a long tube-like machine. The magnet will attract metal items. If you have metal objects (pacemakers, heart valves artificial joints, etc.) which cannot be removed. tell your doctor or technician.

• If being in a close space frightens you, discuss this with your doctor before the test. Your doctor may give you some medicine to bring with you to help relax.

• You will be positioned comfortably for your exam and it is important to be as still as possible during you exam., You do not have to hold your breath, just breathe normally. If you are having an exam of your head, you will need need to wear a helmet with a window. 

• The table will then move into the opening of the MRI machine. It will stop when the part of the body we want to examine is in the center. Please remain as quiet as possible during the exam. You will notice. a sound similar to drum beat as the images are taken.

• The technologist will not stay with you in the room. You will be able to hear and see the staff and they will monitor you through an intercom and mirror system in the machine. If you become uncomfortable at any time, tell the technician. Staff will be right there to help you. 

• When your exam is complete, the technician will take you to an area where you may change into your clothes and collect you things to go home. If you are a patient in the hospital, you will be taken to your room. 

• Your MRI study will be read by a specially trained radiologist, and the results will be sent to your doctor in the next few days. If you have questions about your MRI, please ask you technician or any staff member.

How Long will the Exam Take?

The length of your MRI can vary, depending on the area of you body being examined. In general, the exam lasts about 1 hour.