You may have someone with you in the room if you wish. This may help if you start to feel anxious. You may also listen to music through headphones while in the scanner. If you are very claustrophobic, your doctor may give you a mild sedative, or your MRI may be scheduled with sedation.
In most cases, a family member or friend may enter the MRI room with you and stay with you throughout your exam. If the situation allows, they may even hold your hand or pat you on the knees so that you know that they are there with you.
You may not wear clothing with snaps or zippers in the scanner. You will be asked to wear a gown. Do not wear any jewelry or bring anything metal into the scanner, including a hearing aid. An MRI machine uses a powerful magnet to make images of your body.
Since the MRI machines are magnets, it is best to not apply deodorants, antiperspirants, perfumes, or body lotions before the examination. These items contain metals that might interfere with the magnetic field inside the MRI machine and cause you to have distorted images and wrong results.
Does your whole body go into the machine for a brain MRI? In most cases, your whole body won't go into the MRI machine tunnel if you're only getting a head or brain MRI.
Keep your eyes closed or even wear a blindfold.
It's much easier in an open MRI it's wider than a standard scanner, so patients shouldn't feel any walls touching them.
When not properly accommodated during an MRI, claustrophobic patients may experience panic attacks, which can bring on increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, chills, sweating, and other distressing symptoms.
You will not be able to have breakfast the morning of your surgery. You can brush your teeth in the morning, just be sure to spit the water out!
You will be asked to remove any clothing containing metal and all jewelry. You will be provided metal free clothing to change into such as gown, shorts or pants.
How long does an MRI scan take? A single scan may take a few seconds or 3 to 8 minutes. You may be asked to hold your breath during short scans. The total scan lasts 15 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of the area being scanned and how many images are needed.
Once your MRI scan is complete, you'll be escorted back to the changing area to retrieve your belongings. If your doctor gave you any medication or sedation, DO NOT attempt to drive yourself home. Make sure you have someone who can get you home.
They can talk with you and be there to support you during and after the examination. They can also drive you home if you have sedative medicine during the examination. If you do take sedative medication, you cannot drive yourself.
“Patients can resume their normal activities immediately after the MRI scan,” Dr. Taouli says. (Unless you had any drugs for sedation or anxiety, in which case you may need someone to drive you home; be sure to ask your doctor about this beforehand.)
So no one should enter the scanner room without being carefully screened first. Persons who have a heart pacemaker or any kind of electronic or metal implants should not be in the MRI environment. For additional safety, anyone who might be pregnant cannot be present in the MRI room during a scan.
It's important that patients remove all clothing prior to their MRI exam. We ask patients to remove: All outer clothing, including shoes. Bras or any undergarment that could have metal in it.
If You Have an Overactive Bladder
This feeling of urgency can make it harder to hold urine in. While you may still experience this urgency to a degree, not drinking for several hours before your procedure can make you less likely to experience incontinence during the scan.
Most metal tooth fillings or other permanent dental implants won't cause a problem. If you have detachable metal braces or a retainer, you should take them out before you get an MRI.
There are no food or drink restrictions prior to the MRI exam. Continue to take any medication prescribed by your doctor unless otherwise directed.
Unless you're told otherwise, you can shower and wash your hair the morning of your MRI. Don't use any hair products (such as hair spray or hair gel). Don't wear any metal objects. Remove all jewelry, including body piercings.
Gadobenate is a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA). Gadobenate is given by injection before an MRI scan to help find problems in the brain, spine, and other parts of your body.
MRIs show common structural abnormalities among patients with depression and anxiety. Magnetic resonance images have shown a common pattern of structural abnormalities in the brains of people with major depression disorder (MDD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD), according to a study to be presented at RSNA 2017.
Many MRI procedures don't require your head to go inside the machine at all, but if you need a head or upper spine MRI, you'll appreciate the fact our machine provides a full 12 inches of clearance between your face and the wall – relieving stress for our patients with claustrophobia.
After the scan, you can resume normal activities immediately. But if you have had a sedative, a friend or relative will need to take you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours. It's not safe to drive, operate heavy machinery or drink alcohol for 24 hours after having a sedative.
There aren't any side-effects from the MRI scan itself. However, if you've had an injection of contrast medium (dye) as part of the investigation, you may have some side-effects which might include a skin rash, dizziness, a headache, and nausea.