Posted on 12/12/2022
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is probably not the most unpleasant medical procedure out there, but it does require the patient to remain motionless inside a long, very loud tube for whatever time it takes the machine to get a clear picture, typically around 15 minutes. For patients, especially those with anxiety, claustrophobia, or a tendency to fidget or who are in pain or too young to follow instructions, that can feel like an eternity.
But it’s necessary: Only an MRI has the high resolution and contrast to allow clinicians to see fine detail in soft tissue like that in the spine, or potentially life-threatening tumors, for example. The longer the scan, the higher the image quality.
Fortunately, says Dr. Melany Atkins, medical director of the Fairfax MRI Center and of advanced cardiac imaging at Inova ...