MRI Scan cost at quality centres - ChooseDoctor Healthcare.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan utilizes strong magnetic fields and radio frequency waves to generate detailed images inside of your body. It does not involve the use of radioactive material or X-rays so the technique is ideal for screening and determining very early stages of certain diseases such as cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also very useful for diagnosis of injuries, disorders of the brain, spine, breasts, bones and other tissues and organs of the body.

MRI technique makes use of the fact that the human body consist largely of water (75%), which is present in the cells, joints and flowing fluids. Water molecules have weak positive (protons) and negative (electrons) charges. The weak protons are sensitive to the magnetic field. During MRI, the scanner magnetic field aligns with the protons of the cells of the organs or tissues. Subsequently, the radio frequency waves are turned on, which knock out the protons from alignment. When the radio waves are turned off again, the protons go back to realign with the magnetic field, which in turn emit radio signals, detected by radio detectors to create cross-section images of organs and soft tissues of your body, using 3D computer software. MRI serves as an important diagnostic tool, as it makes use of the fact that the proton signals produced by healthy cells are different from those produced by abnormal tissues, thus any aberrance in tissues, organs bones and joints can be assessed.

MRI's are useful for examining the brain and spinal cord and to diagnose a variety of conditions from torn ligaments to tumours. The pictures are much more detailed and therefore are of higher diagnostic quality.

• An MRI of the brain can be done to look for the changes associated with bleeding or when the brain has been starved of oxygen after a stroke.
• MRI can be used to investigate a traumatic brain injury, and also help diagnose developmental abnormalities.
• MRI can be used to characterize tumours- benign or malignant abnormal growths and check their progress if they have changed in size and whether there has been spread to nearby tissues.
• Congenital cardiovascular conditions can more accurately be assessed with MRI.
• Within the heart, an MRI scan can give detailed imaging of the thickness and size of the chamber walls. Damage occurring to the heart tissue after a heart attack or in association with disease of the valve can also be assessed.
• Large blood vessels within the surrounding tissue can also be examined with MRI to check for the buildup of plaques.
• MRI is very effective at giving clear images of the individual tissues like muscle, bone and ligaments in joint problems. 

MRI can provide early detection of many conditions, so treatment can be more effective, accurate and rapid. The excellent quality of MRI images can also provide the best possible information if surgery is required. If there is an abnormality, MRI can show exactly where it is, its size and what tissues are involved.

The different kinds of MRI scan are:- 

• Open MRI : Used patients who may feel uncomfortable in enclosed spaces, this is a very convenient option. Open MRI has wider bore diameter or is open on the sides.

• 1.5 or 3 Tesla MRI: This type of closed MRI uses magnetic field that have double the strength of a traditional MRI machine. Thus produces more clear and detail images. It is commonly useful to identify the signs of strokes, tumours in the brain.

The Day your doctor ordered the MRI test, you should prepare for MRI scan

• Remind your doctor about any illness you might have and all the medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs.
• If you have kidney disease, MRI contrast can cause more damage to the kidneys so remind your doctor about any kidney illness, in case an alternative test needs to be done.
• Remind your doctor about any metal device you are wearing so he/she can plan for an alternative test.
• Ask your doctor if contrast will be needed for your MRI scan, since this will require you to fast for 4 hours prior to your scan test.
• Let your doctor know if you are pregnant to allow them to decide whether the MRI scan will be alright for the fetus.
• Let your doctor know if you are claustrophobic, i.e. afraid of closed spaces, so they can arrange for you to have a medication to make you feel sleepy and calm on the day of your scan.

The Day before the MRI test

• You will either get a letter in the mail or receive a phone call from a staff of the facility where you scheduled your appointment, telling you how to prepare.

The staff might tell you the following:

• Eat and drink normally if contrast will not be required. But if contrast was ordered along with your MRI scan, you must NOT eat 4 hours before your scan time. This means that if you are having contrast MRI scan in the morning, you cannot have breakfast. If it is at 4:00 PM, your last meal before the scan should be at mid-day.
• Take your medications like you’ve always had.
• Avoid wearing jewelry, watches, wigs, hairpins, dentures, hearing aids, underwire bra-eyeglasses to the scanning room, as anything that has a metal component will either make the magnetic field so powerful that it could cause harm to you, ruin the scanner or both.
• Put on easy-to-wear outfits as you will be asked to change into a hospital gown when you get to the facility.
• Arrive at the facility 30 minutes before the scheduled time to do paperwork, including filling out MRI screening form

You must tell the staff the following:

• Any medication you are taking.
• The need to take medication for your claustrophobia, so the relevant preparation will be made. Let him/her know if somebody will accompany you to drive you back home.
• Tell the staff if you have kidney disease, as the use of contrast can make it worse.

The Day of the MRI test

• MRI scanning without contrast does not require you to fast before the procedure, so you can eat regularly. However, if you are told the test will be performed with contrast, you have to fast 4 hours prior to the scheduled time.
• Take your medications like any regular day, unless special instructions are given to you.
• You will wait in the waiting area for the Radiology Technologist to come and escort you.
• You will be asked to change into a hospital gown and remove any jewelry, watch, necklace, hairpins and earrings.
• You will be led to the scanning area. If a contrast is required, it will be administered to you, either by mouth or you will have intravenous (IV) injection in your arm vein. The contrast will make your MRI images clearer and show better details.
• If you are nervous about enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), you may be given a medication to help you feel sleepy and calm.
• The Radiology Technologist will ask you to lie flat on your back on the scanner bed.
• You will be slid into the tunnel-shaped scanner. 

• If you are pregnant.
• Medical history like diabetes, hypertension, kidney problems.
• Routine medication that you take.
• Have metal or electronic devices in your body such as a cardiac pacemaker or a metal artificial joint.

Yes, although they will likely have to wait in a waiting room while the scan is being done. While you're getting scanned, you can communicate with the technologist at any time through an intercom system. There is an alarm / bell which can be used to call someone in case of discomfort.

There are many varieties of MRI exams. Depending upon the body part being scanned, your position may be different. To begin the exam, you will lie down on the scan table. You will be provided with earplugs or headphones when the machine starts to work as loud knocking sounds will occur when MRI pictures are being taken. Although it's noisy, an MRI exam is completely painless. The only thing you must do is HOLD STILL. If you move, the scans will be out of focus and you may have to repeat the exam.

If necessary, you may be injected with a solution called a contrast agent or “dye”. This allows the radiologist to see the image more clearly. MRI contrast agents typically have few or no side effects. You will be asked to give your consent to this injection, more detailed explanation about the contrast agent will be given to you by the MRI technologist.

Women in their first trimester of pregnancy are not advised MRI as the effects of MRI to the fetus are unknown. Please consult your treating doctor if you are breast-feeding and require contrast.

Since there is an exposure to a powerful magnetic field during MRI scan, it is important not to wear jewelry or any other metal objects.

An MRI scan is not suitable for the patient if they have electrical appliances, such an ear implant, pace maker or have any metal in their body such as surgical clips. However, orthopedic metal ware such as artificial hips, plates or bone screws are not a problem. 

They can provide useful additional information for the Radiologist for comparison purposes when they are interpreting your MRI scan. That can help in better diagnosis and treatment plan.

MRI does not use X-ray radiation. Instead, MRI creates high-quality images through the combination of a strong magnetic field and radio waves. An MRI is preferred over a CT scan for imaging structures such as joints, brain and spinal cord, where clearer and more anatomically detailed images are required. The difference between normal and abnormal tissue is often clearer on the MRI scan than on the CT scan. It is also possible to differentiate cystic lesions from malignant tumours, to identify areas of infection and inflammation and for assessment of joint tendon tears.

MRI uses no radiation. The basic components of MRI are a strong magnetic field and a brief pulse of a radio frequency. There are no known side effects related to MRI. Since there is a strong magnetic field however, people with certain devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, aneurysm clips and certain cochlear implants must NOT enter the MRI room.

MRI contrast is a special medication that is used to improve visualization of certain diseases. If necessary, it is administered through a small IV catheter, which is placed in a vein in your arm prior to the procedure. The contrast provides important details about the blood vessels and organs inside the body.

A doctor may order a contrast dye to be used during some MRI exams in order for the radiologist to view internal tissues and blood vessels better on the completed images. When injected into the body, gadolinium contrast medium enhances and improves the quality of the MRI images.

In most cases no special preparation is needed. One can just stick with their normal, everyday routine - You can eat and drink your usual diet, work or play sports and take any prescription medications you need. However, there may be some circumstances in which you'll be given specific instructions to follow before the exam. These will be given to you by your doctor, or by the MRI centre at the time of appointment.

MRI of any region can be done under anesthesia for pediatric or adult patients. Anesthesia can be used-

• When the patient can't or won't stay still
• Children / Pediatrics
• Extreme pain laying on back
• Ventilator dependency
• Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces such as the MRI tube)

The scan can last from 30 minutes to about an hour.

• You are free to resume regular activities, once the Radiography Technologist says you can leave.

• If you were given medication for your claustrophobia, you will not be able to drive right away. The ideal situation will be to bring somebody to drive you back home; otherwise, you will have to wait for a while until you are no longer drowsy before you can drive again.

Usually the report is ready within 24-36 hours at the scanning centre. Your physician may be able to access the images online via the internet soon after the scan. You can make an appointment with your physician for evaluation.

• MRI scan is very safe, as there are no radioactive materials or X-rays involved.
• If a contrast dye is given, it does not contain iodine that might cause an allergy.
• If the contrast injection is administered intravenously (IV), there will be a little pain from the prick of a needle and skin redness which will not last long.
• If you have any implanted device, you should remind your doctor and also inform the Radiology Technologist, as the magnetic resonance can prevent the device from working.

Since the strong magnetic field is used in MRI imaging, any metal around your body or within your body will pose a safety hazard. It has been reported by MRI maintenance Engineers that in the presence of metal objects, the strength of MRI magnets become so strong that it can trap, injure, or even kill an individual having the scan test. In addition, if the magnetic field comes into contact with metals, it will interfere with the scanning and the subsequent generation of images. Remind your doctor on the day your MRI scan was ordered and also tell the Radiology Technologist if you have any of these metal devices:

• Heart pacemaker
• Heart mechanical replacement valves
• Implantable cardio-converter defibrillator (ICD)
• Metal-on-metal hip implants
• Inner ear (cochlear) implants
• Hair metal clips
• Have had a bullet or shrapnel injury
• If the use of a contrast material (usually gadolinium) is required, it is unlikely for it to cause allergic reactions.
• If you are pregnant, tell your doctor, as the procedure might harm the fetus. This has not been proven but it is an important safety precaution.

MRI is very safe. There are no health risks associated with the magnetic field or the radio waves used by the machine nor have any side effects been reported. Patients with a pacemaker or certain types of aneurysm clips should not have an MRI.

An MRA or Magnetic Resonance Angiogram is a type of MRI scan that uses MRI's magnetic fields and radio waves to produce pictures of blood vessels inside the body, allowing doctors to locate problems that may cause reduced blood flow. An MRI is the technology behind an MRA, and it is used to examine soft ligament tissues and tendon injuries. 

MRI cost is high because imaging machines are expensive. MRI machines cost around $3 million for a new machine. A refurbished MRI scanner would cost less. 

For hospitals and MRI scan centres, the base price for machines is just the beginning. CT and MRI imaging machines usually cost about $100,000 per year to maintain, since they get very hot and must have an internal cooling source, which also requires a lot of energy. Electricity bills are pretty high. Additionally, MRI machines must be placed in suites that protect patients and staff from magnetic waves that can cause problems with pacemakers and other devices. Installation of machines in these suites also could cost close to the cost of the machine itself. Radiology report also adds to the cost of a scan.