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mri-scan

What is an MRI scan?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnets and radio waves to produce very detailed twoand three-dimensional pictures of the inside of your body. In fact, the images produced are the most detailed of any type of medical imaging scan available today. It does not use ionising radiation as X-rays do.

It’s suitable for every part of the body, including bones, soft tissues (such as blood vessels, ligaments and muscles) and the brain. This means it can help diagnose, plan treatment for and monitor many different medical conditions. Doctors who specialise in analysing MRI scans are called radiologists.


Why might I need an MRI scan?

Your doctor may recommend an MRI scan to examine different parts of your body including:

  1. Bones, joints and muscles — to help diagnose injuries or abnormalities affecting your joints, particularly your back, knee or hip and to detect conditions such as arthritis or tendon tears.
  2. Brain and spinal cord - an MRI brain scan can look for brain tumours, possible causes of a headache, abnormal tissue growth and to assess damage after a stroke.
  3. Breasts — a breast MRI can help detect breast cancer and is used alongside a mammogram to screen women at high risk.
  4. Heart and blood vessels — a cardiac MRI scan captures images of your heart, heart valves and blood vessels to diagnose heart defects or disease or to assess damage after a heart attack.
  5. Internal organs, including the liver, womb and prostate gland — to detect diseases, cysts or tumours.
  6. Pelvis — to help diagnose the cause of pelvic pain in women, such as endometriosis or fibroids, or to investigate potential womb abnormalities in women with fertility problems.

Preparing for an MRI scan

You can usually eat, drink and take your medications as usual on the day of your MRI scan. However, in some cases, depending on the part of your body being scanned, we may ask you not to eat or drink anything for up to four hours before your MRI scan.

When you arrive for your MRI scan, you will be given a questionnaire to complete about your medical history and health. This ensures your healthcare team are aware of any health issues you're facing so they can complete your scan safely. You will then need to sign a consent form to confirm that you agree to have an MRI scan.

You will be asked to remove all metallic objects from your body as the MRI machine uses strong magnets. You will therefore need to remove:


  1. Hearing aids
  2. Jewellery eg bracelets, earrings and necklaces
  3. Piercings eg piercings in your ears, nose, tongue and belly button
  4. Dentures
  5. Watches
  6. Wigs — certain wigs have trace amounts of metal

Depending on the part of your body being scanned, you may be asked to change into a hospital gown. If you do not need to wear a hospital gown, you will need to wear clothes that do not contain any metallic parts eg metal belts, buckles, buttons, fasteners or zips, or bras with an underwire.
Lockers are provided for patient valuables.
If you are feeling very anxious about your MRI scan or are claustrophobic, make sure you talk to your doctor well before the day of your scan about having a sedative to help you to relax.
If you have a sedative during your MRI scan, you will not be able to drive for 24 hours and will therefore need someone to take you home.


What to expect during your MRI scan

You may be given earplugs or headphones or both to wear during your scan. You will lie down on a motorised bed that will move into the tunnel part of the MRI scanner— the tunnel is open at either end, is well-lit and has a fan to help you feel comfortable. You will either move into the tunnel head-first or feet-first, depending on which part of your body is being scanned, to ensure the part that needs scanning is in the middle of the MRI scanner.

An MRI radiographer will talk to you via a two-way intercom and you can talk back. They will make sure you feel comfortable before the scan starts. You will need to lie as still as possible but you can ask to stop the scan if you need to move or feel very anxious.

A single scan can be captured quite quickly, taking between a few seconds to three to four minutes. For short scans, the MRI radiographer may ask you to hold your breath. During your scan you will hear noises made by the MRI scanner working; these may include banging, beeping, clanging, clicking, tapping and whirring.

For some types of MRI scans, you’ll need an injection of a contrast agent (a special dye), which shows up certain tissues more clearly.

Once your MRI scan is complete, you will be moved out of the MRI scanning machine.


After an MRI scan

An MRI scan is usually an outpatient procedure so you can go home on the same day as your scan. Unless you have had a sedative, you can immediately return to your usual activities.

If you were given a sedative, you may need to stay at the MRI imaging clinic or hospital for a short time until you are fully alert. You will need someone to take you home as you will not be able to drive for 24 hours. You should also not drink alcohol or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after having a sedative. It is also advised NOT to sign any legal documents during this time either and you should have someone stay with you for 24 hours after your MRI scan.


How long does an MRI scan take?

An MRI scan takes between 15 and 90 minutes depending on the part of your body being scanned. You can go home shortly afterwards.


How will I get my results?

Radiographer (someone trained to perform scans) will carry out your MRI scan. Afterwards, a radiologist (a doctor trained to read MRI scans) will examine the images. A report will be sent to the doctor who requested your scan, this can take 24 hours - 48 hours. Your radiographer will tell you when you can expect to get your results.


Risks

An MRI scan is painless and very safe as there are no known side effects from exposure to the magnetic fields or radio waves. Some people may feel claustrophobic, but our experienced team can help you relax.

Potential risks or complications may include:


  1. A reaction to the contrast agent eg a skin rash, dizziness, headaches or sickness — this is very rare and usually mild but in extreme cases can cause a severe reaction that needs emergency treatment.
  2. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis specifically in people with severe kidney disease who receive high doses of the MRI contrast agent.
  3. If you have kidney disease, you may need to have blood tests first to determine if it is safe for you to have a contrast agent during your MRI scan. MRI scans aren't usually recommended for pregnant women.

Can you have an MRI scan if you have a metal implant?

You should let your healthcare team know if you have any of the below implants:
Aneurysm clips, coils or shunts.
Artificial heart valves, cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, vascular stent or stent-graft
Cochlear implants
Dorsal column stimulators or neurostimulators
Implanted drug infusion device eg insulin pump
Metallic implants or prostheses eg an artificial joint
You should also let your healthcare team know if you have:
Bullet wounds or shrapnel
Worked as a sheet metal worker — you may have metal shavings in your eyes that you are unaware of.


Alternatives to MRI

An MRI scan captures the details of your tissues differently from other scans. However, in some cases, an alternative scan can be performed, such as an arthrogram, nuclear medicine bone scan, CT scan or ultrasound scan.


SELF-REFERRAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

We believe in the importance of our patients taking control of their health and we would like to make it easier forour patients who are looking to investigate their health concerns or who are seeking reassurance. On this basis, we are giving our patients the ability to Self-Refer to our MRI Clinic.
Please read through and agree to the following information prior to proceeding with a Self-Referral booking.

  1. MRI scans will only be offered to all patients aged 18 and above, orpatients 16 and 17 years of age with their parent(s)/guardian(s)present at their MRI scan appointment to providewritten consent.
  2. MRIis extremely safe and does not involve any ionising radiation exposure. However, you are required to complete a safety questionnaire at the time of booking your appointment. We request all patients to complete the safety screening form to the best of your ability and to call us if you have any queries regarding the safety questionnaire to prevent a delay in your MRI scan being performed or rejected.
  3. You will be required to complete a Self-referral form, clearly providing the reasons for requesting an MRI scan. Whether it is for a medical complaint or reassurance. We would like request that you provide as much information as possible.
  4. If a comparison scan is required, please ensure you provide us with your previous MRI scan report/s and MRI images or details of where this can be obtained. Failure to do so may result in a delay on the completion of your report. Please note that we are unable to offer a comparative report on any other type of diagnostic imaging such a Computerised Tomography (CT) Scan, X-Ray or Ultrasound.
  5. You must be registered with a GP, or other responsible medical practitioner (e.g. for overseas patients), to whom we will send a copy of your report.
  6. As a diagnostic imaging clinic, it is a requirement for us to be able to communicate the results to a doctor, already involved in your care, so that they may discuss your MRI scan report and to provide recommendationsfor your futuremedicalcare. Therefore, we cannot perform any diagnostic imaging scan/s if you cannot, or do not wish to provide the name and contact details of your registered doctor.
  7. MRI scans will only be performed on the areas which we routinely scan. The Self-Referral form will be assessed and protocolled and you will be advised if we are unable to proceed with the requested examination.
  8. Self-Referrals will not be accepted for contrast enhanced scans. If contrast is required, aMRI scan referral form must be obtained from your registered GP or a Specialist.
  9. Self-Referrals will not be accepted if you are engaged in professional sports or for anything connected with a professional sports club, of which you are a member.
  10. Self-referrals will not be accepted for monitoring of a known malignant disease.
  11. You should be aware that MRI scans may identify unexpected abnormalities, which may or may not require further investigations. In this instance, the findings will be highlighted in the report and any recommendations from the reporting radiologist must be followed up with your GP or Specialist.
  12. Your Self-Referral form or MRI scan report may contain medical terminology that may be confusing or possibly upsetting, but neither the reporting radiologist nor any staff member, within the MRI clinic,are allowedto discuss the findings of the scan directly with any patient. All enquiries and or recommendations must be explained or discussed with you by your GP or Specialist
  13. Your GP will have the ability to contact the reporting radiologist for further information regarding your report.
  14. You are welcome to bring a friend or relative with you, who may accompany you during your scan, subject to safety checks. Please note that you cannot be accompanied by any persons under the age of 16.
  15. You are requested to provide all your contact details, so that we may contact you, and you will be required to confirm your appointment 48 hours prior to your MRI scan appointment.
  16. After your scan, you will only receive a password protected CD containing your MRI scan images, if this is included in your package or you have paid the additional charge. Any additional copies of the CD will be chargeable at the standard rate.
  17. After your MRI scan, the radiology report will be sent to your GP or Specialist within the timescale stated on your selected MRI package. We are unable to release the radiology report directly to any patient. You will need to arrange a follow-up appointment with your GP or Specialist to obtain a copy of your report and discuss your results.
  18. Neither the NHS nor any private medical insurance providers will fund the costs of a Self-Referred MRI scan. As such, all Self-Referrals are accepted on a Self-pay basis only.
  19. You accept that you are solely responsible for choosing the area(s) you wish to have scanned and that you are not replying on any input, clinical or otherwise from Tesla Radiology Solutions Ltd. (TRSL).
  20. If you are unable to attend your MRI scan appointment, you must reschedule or cancel 48 hours before the scheduled appointment. Any appointments cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled time will be non-refundable and the appointment cannot be rescheduled. If the appointment is booked within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment time, the service cost will be non-refundable and the appointment cannot be rescheduled..
  21. Tesla Radiology Solutions Ltd.reserve the right to refuse your Self-Referral form.

If you are happy to proceed, you can complete your self-referral form using link https://eu.halaxy.com/profile/mr-babu-vargheese/other/430975 and a member of our bookings team will call to confirm your appointment with you. NB: Your appointment will not be confirmed unless you get a final confirmation for the appointment you made online.





Location - Newcastle Royal Quays Retail Park, NE29 6DW