What is magnetic resonance imaging? Is MRI harmful for your health?

Modern medical science does not stand still, with every day there are improved means not only of treatment, but also diagnostics. To date, one of the most accurate and safe methods of diagnosis is rightly considered magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. This type of examination has repeatedly proved its effectiveness, but only disputes about whether the MRI is harmful to health, do not subside. To understand how justified such fears, you need to learn more about this method of diagnosis.

What is special about MRI?

Magnetic resonance imaging is the newest diagnostic method. Using this technique, human organs are scanned, which are not available for other types of examination.

Most often, it is the MRI that is assigned to determine the tumor processes, diagnose the spine, and visualize the brain and spinal cord.

Before the emergence and widespread use of MRI, this type of disease and pathology was determined with the help of X-rays, as well as ultrasound methods of investigation. But if you can still doubt whether the MRI is harmful to health, then in the case of X-ray examination, the answer is unambiguous and the damage to health is very significant. And the ultrasound method is often not very informative and the result is too dependent on the apparatus and the qualification of the uzista.

That is why, in many cases, the use of MRI for diagnosis allows the timely detection of pathology and immediately begin treatment.

How does the method of magnetic tomography work?

The essence of the method is that a person is exposed to the magnetic field created by a special diagnostic installation. Magnetic waves cause resonating or vibrating hydrogen atoms, which are contained in every cell of any human body. Such fluctuations can be fixed and visualized using special equipment and computer programs.

Preparation for MRI is to place the patient in a special installation for diagnosis. The very process of MRI can take a long time - up to two hours, depending on the severity of the diagnosis. The minimum time for the diagnosis is 40 minutes.

How is the diagnosis?

Despite the fact that the question of whether the MRI is harmful to health, sounds from many patients, practically no one refuses this method from the proposed diagnosis. The fact is that very often with the help of tomography, the presence and severity of tumor processes or brain diseases is established. And among all the available methods of MRI - the most accurate and painless.

Tomography does not produce harmful effects on human health: the effect of magnetic waves is not more sensitive than radiation from a mobile phone or microwave oven. Nevertheless, the direction of diagnosis can be prescribed only by a doctor, self-examination should not be done independently.

Special preparation for MRI is not required. The patient, having received a referral from the attending physician, comes to the diagnostic room and carries out all the instructions of the specialists.

In order to create a magnetic radiation, you need frequencies and directivity, the patient is placed in a special installation - a tomograph. This is a kind of tunnel, in which the person is in the most immovable position. In this case, it is affected by magnetic waves, the image is processed programmatically and displayed on the computer.

After completion of the procedure, the patient does not need rest or hospitalization and can go home on his own.

Contraindications to use

Despite the fact that the question of whether the MRI of the brain and other organs is harmful, experts give a negative answer, the procedure has a number of absolute and relative contraindications.

Absolute contraindications excluding the use of magnetic resonance imaging include:

• The presence of a pacemaker, pacemaker, or other artificial stimulator of the internal organs.
• The presence of implants in the bone system, namely: artificial joints, spokes, plates.
• Presence of dental crowns made of metal.
• The presence of fragmentation wounds with the probability that part of the fragments could not be removed.
• The presence of tattoos, the paint of which contains metal particles.

These contraindications can be generalized: if there are metal particles in the human body, then the use of MRI is strictly prohibited. The metal reacts to the magnetic attraction, as a result of which the diagnosis can be not only incorrect, but also dangerous for the life of the patient.

Relative contraindications to the use of MRI - is the presence in the patient of various kinds of mental disorders associated with a closed space. The task of the patient is to remain motionless for quite a long time in a closed tunnel of the tomograph. If his psyche is not ready for this, the result of the diagnosis may be erroneous.

The need to use MRI in this situation can be justified by the attending physician. If the patient's state of health allows, magnetic tomography can be replaced by another method; If not, then a preliminary consultation of a psychologist or psychotherapist is necessary to convince the patient of the importance of conducting such a study.

Is MRI harmful for your health? No, it's not harmful. Radiation from a tomograph is not harmful, than from a mobile phone, and can not cause harm. But to use this type of diagnosis is only necessary for the doctor's prescription and follow all the recommendations and instructions of specialists.