First MRI? Here’s What You Should Know

The fascination with magnets goes back to ancient cultures discovering lodestones, magnetic rocks that mysteriously attract iron. Magnets have been part of scientific advances for as long as science has existed, with the Chinese using them for navigation hundreds of years ago, and over the centuries, magnets have been used in many forms of technology.

Today, medical imaging benefits from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a device that uses magnetic waves and computer technology to examine the inner workings of the body to help treat various conditions. With all the different forms of medical imaging available, you may not have received one before. If you’re going to have one soon, let’s explore the process.

Residents of the Norwood, Anderson, and Westside, Ohio, and Crestview Hills, Kentucky, areas who need medical imaging, such as MRIs, can get help from the medical team at Riverhills Neuroscience.

How MRIs work

MRI devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the one general principle remains: a patient is placed on a table and moves through a tube that examines the parts of the body that need to be diagnosed. Some are closed, and more recent models are open to ease patients who have issues with enclosed spaces.

The tube patients enter, called a bore, is where the magnet that creates a very strong, stable magnetic field is located. This occurs with the magnet and a series of wires or many coils that create a magnetic field through which an electric current can flow. The wires are bathed in liquid helium to freezing temperatures (-452.4℉ or -269.1℃) that are insulated in a vacuum.

When the magnetic field is created, a radiofrequency (RF) pulse is emitted to the area of the body that needs imaging. This process allows us to obtain information from any part of the body at any angle, in slices, so you can remain still throughout the scan.

What it’s used to detect

Using this device allows us to gain valuable information about many conditions, including:

• Brain and spinal issues: multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, brain and spinal injuries, aneurysms, and tumors

• Abnormalities: tumors and other abnormalities in a variety of organs

• Cardiovascular illness: damage from heart attacks, heart disease, blockages, and inflammation

• Digestive illness: ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory bowel illnesses

• Joint conditions: infections, irregularities, tumors, and infections in joints and bones

At Riverhills Neuroscience we use MRIs to diagnose stroke and blood vessel diseases, and to examine the damage that strokes cause to the brain. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance venography (MRV), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient mapping (ADC) are the specific tests we perform using this technology.

The imaging process

When you undergo an MRI, you may be given specific instructions to follow before getting on the table, depending on the type of scan and where it's performed. Once you arrive, you change into a gown and remove metal objects (rings, bracelets, and other jewelry) to prevent them from interfering with the scan.

Next, you lie on the table and are moved into the machine, guided by staff over an intercom. During the scan, expect to hear buzzing and clicking noises that can get loud; earplugs are available. The process can take up to 90 minutes, depending on what’s being scanned, and that area may feel warm as it happens.

MRIs are completely safe, radiation-free, and give us vital information that can help us help you feel better. So, when you need an MRI for diagnosis or to monitor a condition, call 513-721-7226 to make an appointment with the Riverhills Neuroscience team for assistance.