A brain MRI can take about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. It may take longer if you're getting a brain MRI with contrast. Your healthcare provider will be able to give you a more exact time range based on the specific reason for your scan.
You may have clear liquids only (jello, tea, fruit drinks without pulp, black coffee, water, etc.) for 6 hours before the exam.
On the day of your MRI scan, you should be able to eat, drink and take any medication as usual, unless you're advised otherwise.
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.
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.
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!
MRI Scans:
Patient should remain empty stomach for 6 hours before the appointment time, if you are undergoing an Abdomen or Pelvic scan or contrast study. For all other scans, no fasting is required. Children can be individually assessed by the radiologist for fasting time.
If you're getting an MRI/MRA with IV Contrast
For IV Contrast patients, you should stay hydrated and should drink 16 oz. of water prior to your exam and 16 oz. of water after your exam.
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.
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.
Yes. Do not eat or drink anything for 4 hours before your scan. We may ask you to change into a hospital gown. We may ask you to remove dentures, jewellery, hearing aids, hairpins and eye makeup.
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.
While many brain conditions can be serious or life-threatening, it's important to realize that an MRI of the brain isn't something that should be scary. It's a beneficial process that can help your medical team spot potential problems and offer treatment before the issues develop into something more severe.
You won't have pain from the magnetic field or radio waves used for the MRI test. But you may be tired or sore from lying in one position for a long time. If a contrast material is used, you may feel some coolness when it is put into your IV.
Not intentionally. Many of our examinations require your cooperation and ability to follow commands to hold your breath to produce the images required to make a diagnosis. For those examinations, we will not allow you to fall asleep.
Before the MRI
You may take all medicines. You may eat and drink unless you are having an MRCP, a specific exam for your gallbladder. You will be asked to fill out a patient history form before your exam.
It's important to understand that you can't use an MRI scan to diagnose migraines or any type of headaches. However, with these scans, your doctor can see if you have any other medical conditions including: A brain tumor. An abscess (an infection in your brain)
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.
Before an MRI exam, eat normally and continue to take your usual medications, unless otherwise instructed. You will typically be asked to change into a gown and to remove things that might affect the magnetic imaging, such as: Jewelry. Hairpins.
An MRI will show a detailed image of your brain, spinal cord, nerve tissue, and more. A neurologist would order an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of your brain if they suspect something is wrong, if they are diagnosing an issue, or if they want to monitor the development or treatment of an injury.
Some cosmetics contain metals that can interact with MRI magnets, so on the day of the MRI don't wear makeup or nail polish. Also, minimize hair products and forgo antiperspirants and sunscreens, which contain metals, just to be safe.
You will lie down on a table that slides into the MRI machine. The table slides through a large magnet shaped like a tube. You may have a plastic coil placed around your head. After the table slides into the machine, a technician will take several pictures of your brain, each of which will take a few minutes.