Some MRI scans involve having an injection of contrast agent (dye). This makes certain tissues and blood vessels show up more clearly and in greater detail. Sometimes the contrast agent can cause side effects, such as: feeling or being sick.
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.
You may experience nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea. You may develop a mild skin rash after the scan is done. You might develop a slight headache. You may notice that your skin starts to feel flush.
In a new study published in Current Biology online on Sept. 22, a team led by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that MRI's strong magnet pushes on fluid that circulates in the inner ear's balance center, leading to a feeling of unexpected or unsteady movement.
Transient reactions
The most common adverse reactions are minimal: headache, nausea (feeling slightly sick) and dizziness for a brief time after the injection. A few patients will have a feeling of coldness at the injection site.
The MRI scan is a non-invasive, painless and safe procedure that doesn't require any 'recovery time'.
MRI contrast may also have an effect on other conditions such as allergies, asthma, anemia, hypotension (low blood pressure), and sickle cell disease. There may be other risks depending upon your specific medical condition. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your physician prior to the procedure.
Reactions can include anything from mild anxiety to all out panic attacks and hyperventilating. More to the point, researchers in one study found that as many as 13% of all patients who received an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), reported feelings of panic and or anxiety during their MRI.
Vertigo induced by exposure to the magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is a well-known phenomenon within the radiology community but is not widely appreciated by other clinical specialists.
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. Claustrophobia is a very common condition, affecting as much as 5% of the population.
“Your test needs to be read by a diagnostic radiologist, and the results go back to your physician. Your physician reads the report and then discusses it with you,” Edwards said. The biggest reason for that policy is that only a medical doctor has the training and experience to make a diagnosis.
Generally, MRIs under anesthesia are performed under sedation, although sometimes they are performed under general anesthesia. Sedation is characterized as being in a state between relaxed and very sleepy, but not quite unconscious.
Once you're inside the machine, you'll hear some buzzing, clunking and squeaking sounds as technicians switch the intensity of the magnet. Some patients may feel some heat during an MRI scan, but this is rare. Your job is simply to lie still while the machine takes images of your body.
Skin-to-skin contact during MRI can cause the scanner to emit high-power electromagnetic radiofrequency pulses that are conducted through the body, creating heat.
Gadolinium can also cause an allergic reaction. The current claims are different. The side effects patients are reporting now include joint pain, muscle fatigue and cognitive impairment that can last for years. The gadolinium used in the dye is anchored to a molecule to create a nontoxic compound.
On very rare occasions, a few patients experience side effects from the contrast material. These may include nausea, headache, and pain at the site of injection. It is very rare that patients experience hives, itchy eyes, or other allergic reactions to the contrast material.
MRI is a useful tool in diagnosing and differentiating peripheral from a central cause of vertigo. It avoids misdiagnosis in the emergency setting and facilitates early administration of appropriate treatment.
In certain cases when a person undergoes frequent MRIs, there may be some risk of hearing loss due to the loud noise exposure (Salvi & Shepard, 2018). Loud noise exposure can also be a trigger for tinnitus, or for individuals with existing tinnitus it can “spike” or exacerbate it.
A head MRI scan can diagnose issues having to do with the brain, nerves of the brain, inflammation in the head, inner ear problems, and the spinal cord.
5. Brain imaging can reveal unsuspected causes of your anxiety. Anxiety can be caused by many things, such as neurohormonal imbalances, post-traumatic stress syndrome, or head injuries. Brain scans can offer clues to potential root causes of your anxiety, which can help find the most effective treatment plan.
These effects usually last only for a few moments. You should tell the technologist right away if you feel any breathing difficulties, sweating, numbness, or heart palpitations. Once the scan is done, the table will slide out of the scanner and you will be helped off the table.
Drawbacks of MRI scans include their much higher cost, and patient discomfort with the procedure. The MRI scanner subjects the patient to such powerful electromagnets that the scan room must be shielded.
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.