Is it serious if you need an MRI scan? Why do doctors make us come in for results?
Of course, it is!
No doctor orders an MRI for fun, especially when they are aware that the experience of an MRI scan can go difficult for many!
They are aware that due to the rough creaking noise that comes from the machine and the suffocation that pops up in the semi-enclosed space inside the MRI tube, you may not want to pursue the test!
On top of that,
An MRI scan is too expensive compared to any other body scan! No wonder this is because of the limited availability & high maintenance cost. But who would want to spend such an expense if it isn’t serious?
Besides,
An MRI finding is not easy to read. While you are not from a medical background, you may barely have the ability to locate the internal problems shown in the MRI imaging. Trust me; you need help!
MRI imaging holds various sequencing and planes, and your organs, bones, and soft tissues are likely to appear under them. Only your doctor can help read the scan report and discuss the requisite treatment with you!
What is an MRI scan?
MRI scan, i.e., a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Test, is the diagnostic approach that involves the use of strong magnets & radiofrequency waves to create & provide images of your internal organs, tissues, & cells.
It lay considered one of the safest methods in radiology because neither invasion nor radiation lay involved!
The test is conducted on an outpatient basis and takes 15 to 30 minutes on average.
However,
Sometimes, depending on the area of assessment, the test may take up to one and a half hours!
During this test, you have to lie down on a movable table or bed that goes inside a long narrow tube where the scanning takes place. No special preparation stands necessary herein, but you have to make sure that you do not have any metal implants or metallic accessories on your body, not even makeup or deodorants, as most of them contain metal contents.
When do you need an MRI scan?
- When do you witness severe body aches & headaches every day?
- Do you have a high fever accompanied by severe abdominal pain?
- Encountering numbness in your hands & feet and cannot move properly?
- Do you have chronic chest pain or pain in your joints?
- Suffering from urination problems frequently?
- Seeing blood in your urine or cough?
- Feeling fatigued for a prolonged span and cannot get up from bed?
- Do you have the sensation of vomiting frequently?
- Have you lost your appetite?
- Do you face difficulty swallowing your food?
- Having a vision problem or trouble hearing right?
- Can you see a swollen area near your joints?
- Does the swollen area near your joints release pus?
These are signs that you have an underlying abnormality growing, and you need an MRI scan for an early & accurate diagnosis!
Why would your doctor order an MRI scan?
Your doctors order an MRI scan, typically of a certain type like brain MRI, Cardiac MRI, Bone & Joints MRI, Pelvic MRI, and so forth, because they predict that you may have either of the health issues from the following and an MRI scan can offer an in-depth diagnosis!
While your doctor orders a Brain MRI to diagnose
- Cancers or Tumors,
- Lumps in your brain,
- Brain injury,
- A bulged or narrowed blood vessel in your brain,
- Stroke & its after-effects,
- Inner eye strain,
- Inner ear problem,
- White matter disease,
- Parkinson’s disease,
- Aneurysms,
- Multiple Sclerosis,
- A structural defect in your facial bone,
- Inflammation in the soft tissues of your brain,
- Internal bleeding,
- Brain infections, and many more;
Your doctor shall order a cardiac MRI to diagnose
- Autoimmune heart disease,
- Cardiovascular diseases,
- Blockage in the blood vessels or heart,
- Post Heart Attack Damage,
- Pericarditis,
- Defects in your Heart Chambers or Walls,
- Pulmonary Diseases,
- Bulged out or Narrowed Aorta, and myriad others!
While your doctor orders a Bones & Joints MRI to diagnose
- Bone tumors or cancers,
- Bone infections & inflammations,
- Arthritis,
- Joint Injuries or Damages,
- Discs problems like compressed discs and herniated discs,
- Abnormalities in the length of bones,
- Abnormalities in bone density,
- Paget’s disease,
- Bursitis,
- Brittle Bone disease or Osteogenesis, and so on;
Your doctor orders a Pelvic MRI to diagnose
- Cancer in the colon, kidneys, bladder, ovaries, or prostate,
- Endometriosis,
- Kidney stones,
- Inflammation in the pelvic organs & pelvic muscle floor,
- Birth defect,
- Loss of blood supply to the hip bones,
- Adenomyosis,
- Tumors & cysts,
- Structural defects in the pelvic organs, etc.
Likewise, your doctor may also order an MRI to find out –
- Breast Cancer,
- Pancreatitis or Pancreas related abnormalities,
- Liver Damage or Inflammation,
- Stomach Abnormalities,
And the list is perhaps unending!
What do MRI results contain?
An MRI result contains the various sequence through which the findings lay brought up!
It can be a T1 Weighted Technique, where the fat tissues look bright, suppressing the sign of liquid. Herein, your bones & body fluid are likely to appear black, the grey matter grey, and fat tissues white!
MRI can be a T2 Weighted Technique, where the structures containing a high amount of water get highlighted apart from the fat tissues! Here, your body fluids appear white, the adipose tissue also appears white, the grey matter appears grey, and the bones appear black!
It can be a Flair or Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery Technique, where the structural abnormalities appear bright, and body fluids appear in a darker shade but not black. It is that sequencing that distinguishes between fluids & an abnormality therein!
An MRI can also be a Stir or Short tau Inversion Recovery Technique, where the fat tissues and others giving similar signals lay distinguished. For instance, in a Brain MRI, the stir sequence shall show the white matter as darker than grey, the grey matter as grey, bones as black, cerebrospinal fluids as white, and the fat, air, bone marrow, & moving blood all looks dark, and muscles looks darker than the fat!
Alas! These Techniques & sequencing are so complex that you can barely read them without your doctor & that is precisely why they make you come in for results! When you go to collect your MRI report, your doctor can explain to you the findings as shown herein and suggest to you what to do next!
Final Thoughts:
Did you now understand why it is so serious when you need an MRI scan and why your doctor makes you come in for results? I hope it does!
If not, you can drop us your further queries only at www.mrichandigarh.com! We are waiting to resolve your doubts!
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