What to Expect?
No special preparation is required prior to the MRI exam. You may eat normally and go about your daily routine. Continue to take any medication prescribed by your doctor unless otherwise directed. Prior to entering the scan room for your exam, you will be asked to leave those items that are not compatible with a magnetic field in a safe place outside the MRI scan room. Some of these items are listed below:
- Coins
- Jewelry
- Watches
- Glasses
- Credit cards
- Hearing aids
- Keys
- Hair pins
- Other metal objects
You may also be asked to remove make-up and dentures and to wear a hospital gown to avoid magnetic interference from belt buckles and zippers. Once you are situated on the table, make sure you are comfortable so that it is easy to remain still for the duration of the examination. Breathe normally. Once the examination has begun, you will hear a knocking sound that represents changes in the magnetic field. This is a normal part of the imaging process. At the conclusion of the exam, the technologists will assist you out of the scan room.
Other items that may be incompatible are implants and similar items. Check with your physician or MRI technologists if you have had any brain, ear, or eye surgeries or have any of the following:
- Pacemaker
- Neurostimulator (TENS unit)
- Metal implants
- Intrauterine device (IUD), etc.
- Aneurysm clips
- Surgical staples
- Implanted drug infusion device
- Foreign metal objects in the eye
- Shrapnel or bullet wounds
- Permanent eyeliner
If you are pregnant, please notify your physician.
You can rest assured during your MRI examination a technologist will be with you and will able to see you at all times. For your convenience, an intercom system is built into the MR imager so that if you need anything, the technologist will be right there.
In certain instances, a contrast agent may be administered to enhance the study. There are no extra precautions if your physician requires this type of study. Consult the physician or technologist if you have any questions.
Sutter Surgical Hospital - North Valley offers the Hitachi AIRIS Elite, high performance Open MRI system that combines the unmatched comfort of Hitachi's unique award-winning open-air gantry with clinical capabilities that rival those of many high-field closed type systems. The innovative open-air gantry design of the AIRIS Elite provides the opportunity to constantly and directly attend to patients and accommodate the most demanding cases such as anxious, claustrophobic, and large patients. Overall, the AIRIS Elite design provides easy operator access and reassurance to the patient.
We look forward to taking care of your MRI needs!