Most of the people have heard of MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. There are even people who also know it is used to image the heart, brain or other parts of the body and to assist in the diagnosis of ailments or track the effectiveness of a specific treatment.  There have been plenty of research that use MRI to provide a profounder understanding of some of the most incapacitating human diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, pelvic ailments and other kinds of dementia, mental ailment , and even chronic immune disorders.

MRI can be put to use to obtain purely structural images of healthy controls or patients.  There are also been researchers that obtain MR images to compliment psychological testing, in a hope to identify which areas of the brain are getting used in a particular cognitive procedure. Then there are also experts who use MRI to explore brain connectivity to comprehend the progression of disease and aging. Of course, you can find all types of MRI facilities in your space like MRI abdomen and pelvis scan Bangalore and so on.

How does MRI work?

Nearly two-thirds of your body mass emerges from water and it contains hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The nuclei that are in the  hydrogen atoms, or protons, work like compass needles in a way that they all align in the direction of the magnetic field generated by the MRI scanner. The protons get the energy from radio waves produced by the scanner that briefly pushes them out of alignment. When the protons realign with the magnetic field, these release energy and that is detected as a signal. After this the advanced computer software builds up an image by deciding where the signals were emitted from; regions having more water, and hence more protons, will show up brighter than areas with less water. There is an entire bunch of tricks to enhance the resolution and contrast, but that is the basics in an extremely small nutshell.

Do you know that the magnetic field is always on?

Yes, the magnetic field generated by an MRI already on when any patient walks into the MRI room.  And herein lays its biggest danger. The magnetic field generated by some MRI scanner is approximately 60,000 times greater than the earth’s magnetic field.  You know the tiny ferromagnetic objects can reach speeds nearly 90 km per hour when taken towards the scanner and their trajectory can be really dangerous, striking anything or anybody in its path.  You know MRI radiographer is going to screen patients for jewellery and other metal accessories and hence ask for these to get removed. There are a few metallic medical implants out there that are safe for MRI, whereas others are a contraindication for this process. Of course, there are always professionals who would ask the patient to take of their clothes and wear the hospital gown. It is to make sure that no metallic items are there. Any type of accessories and even bra has to be removed at the time of scanning to ensure proper scanning and no interruptions.

DO you think there is radiation involved with MRI?

Radiation is present in many familiar forms such as radio waves, light, sound, and x-rays. But when most of the individuals ask this question, they are referring to ionizing radiation, or better known as the type that is dangerous to human tissue.  Ionizing radiation does change the structure of the tissue, varying the make-up of its atoms. Imaging methods such as CT (Computed Tomography) x-ray, and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging all make use of ionizing radiation. On the contrary, this procedure of MRI does not make use of ionizing radiation. The method rather relies on the usage of electromagnetic energy in the shape of magnetic fields and radio waves. These types of radiation do not change the chemical properties of the tissue and are fully harmless.

Step into the tunnel

One of the most common concern or question people have with MRI is the need to lie in a confined tunnel, or simply bore as it is often called. The huge and massive coils within the shell of the MRI scanner are exclusively designed and made to generate the strongest and most unchanging field possible at the centre of the tunnel or bore.  The closer the patient lies to this central point, the better the images would turn out to be. So while the tunnel might be wider and cosier for the patient, the images this shall generate would be of poor quality and hardly of any use in clinical diagnosis. So, it is the reason that these MRI tunnels are the way they are.

MRI and sound

One could easily describe the sounds linked up with MRI as a series of banging or clicking sounds. These can be so disturbing that patients are even sometimes given earplugs and headphones for safety. The noise is produced by the radiofrequency gradient coils housed inside the shell of the MRI scanner. To form an image the static magnetic field, which is the one that is always on, requires to be rapidly changed at diverse points across the bore.   It is something that is attained by sending quick pulses of electricity via the gradient coils. Now you know that it is such short, strong pulses that head to the vibrations inside the coils and the loud banging noises.  Of course, if you feel that you are not comfortable with the sounds you can ask for the headphones yourself too. Most of the times kids are handed a headphone and music is played therein to make sure that they stay calm and composed. It is done to distract them from the noises made by the MRI procedure.

Conclusion

So, since you are ready now you can check out the cost of MRI abdomen and pelvis Bangalore.  These are the procedures better for you and can help you stay away from any serious ailments. After all, the professionals who perform these procedures and read your case get enabled to decide the next steps for better effectivity.