I am going to get an MRI because for the past few months i have been having bad dizzy spells. What exactly is a MRI??
2006-09-16 13:11:11 · 4 answers · asked by ME!!!!! 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
An MRI is a very strong magnet which aligns all of the hydrogen atoms in your body when a radio frequency is introduced. Then, as the frequency is removed, the atoms return to their natural state. The rate at which they do this provides information which is translated into images which represent your anatomy. The images are used for diagnostic purposes and are similar to CT (a.k.a. CAT) scan images, except that MRI visualizes soft tissue best while CT is very good for bone. All you need to know about having an MRI is that you will probably receive an injection (small needle stick) of a contrast material which will help differentiate blood vessels from other tissue; you may NOT enter the magnet area with anything metal in your pockets or on your body (if you have any metal surgical clips or have worked around metal or shrapnel, you may not be eligible for the study); and you will be required to lay perfectly still for at least 30 minutes while your body is placed into a narrow tube and the magnet rotates around you. You will hear loud banging noises, but most facilities provide earphones or earplugs to help with this. Also, you should be given a device to hold to alert the technologist if you have an emergency, and the tech will periodically ask you if you are okay. All in all, most people do really well with the study and it can provide a lot of valuable information to the radiologist. Good luck!
2006-09-16 14:30:41 · answer #1 · answered by cancer killer 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
MRI is magnetic resonant imaging. You go into this tube that has a magnet in there and they feed some electical field in there too and take pictures on the computer. It enables them to see differnt things in soft tissue and make a diagnosis on a soft tissue disorder. In the case of dizzy spells, it will show a space occupying lesion quicker and better than XRays or Cat scan.
2006-09-16 15:23:35 · answer #2 · answered by Buzz s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging; its an advance form of imaging technology that involves nuclear spin resonance. It's perfectly safe, and allows for a high resolution image of any area of the body. With the scans, the radiologist (and your doctor) will be able to tell if there is some kind of physical abnormality responsible for your dizzyness.
2006-09-16 13:16:35 · answer #3 · answered by Geoffrey B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Please see the webpages for more details on Magnetic resonance imaging and Dizziness.
2006-09-16 13:20:25 · answer #4 · answered by gangadharan nair 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋