The Magic of MRI at Avala
The magic of imaging! Our MRI Tech Bradley can perform this neat magic trick with a tennis ball in our private MRI suite…but what does this have to do with imaging? SAFETY! Read more below.
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MRI SAFETY TIPS
REMEMBER: The M in MRI stands for magnet. The magnet is always on! Therefore, our imaging team here at Avala always completes a pre-screening exam to ensure patient safety. We make sure our patients do not have items externally or internally that could cause them harm during their MRI exam.
- Items that must be removed in order to complete a MRI exam:
- Purse, wallet, money clip, credit cards, cards with magnetic strips
- Electronic devices such as beepers, cell phones, smartphones and tablets
- Hearing aids
- Metallic jewelry and watches
- Pens, paper clips, keys, coins
- Hair barrettes, hairpins, hair clips
- Shoes, belt buckles, safety pins
- Any article of clothing that has metallic fibers or threads, metallic zippers, buttons, snaps, hooks, or underwire
- Items that must be indicated in an MRI pre-screening exam to prevent health risks or interfere with medical imaging:
- Certain cardiac pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)
- Ferromagnetic metallic vascular clips placed to prevent bleeding from intracranial aneurysms or blood vessels
- Some external or implanted medication pumps (such as those used to deliver insulin, pain-relieving drugs, or chemotherapy)
- Certain cochlear (i.e., for hearing) implants
- Certain neurostimulation systems
- Catheters that have metallic components
- A bullet, shrapnel or other type of metallic fragment
- A metallic foreign body located within or near the eye (such an object generally can be seen on an x-ray; metal workers are most likely to have this problem)
