Siemens Open Bore MRI

Advantages of Our Open Bore MRI

Our Siemens Open Bore MRI has a spacious 30 cm (one foot) of headroom, and a "short bore" design.  No longer will you feel like you are nose-to-nose with the MRI machine. This is particularly useful for claustrophobic or anxious patients, who can stay relaxed throughout the examination.  The open bore design also accomodates patients of all sizes.

Our MRI has a high-power, 1.5 Tesla magnet.  The powerful magnet creates high quality images.  You can be assured that our radiologists will have the highest quality images to help in diagnosis.

The short bore means less of the patient's body is within the scanner during the procedure.  60% of all applications can be done with the patients head outside of the Open Bore.   The open MRI and short-bore design means more headroom, more legroom, and more elbowroom.

How does Open MRI Work?

MRI images are formed when signals emitted by body tissue are processed by software and turned into clinical images. These signals are generated using a safe magnetic field in combination with radio waves of a specific frequency. Different tissue characteristics are translated into different contrast levels on the image.

A typical Open MRI procedure averages 30 minutes or longer, depending on the type of information required by your physician. You can help to make your image as clean as possible by relaxing and remaining still during the exam. Some patients even fall asleep during the MRI exam.

What do I Have to do to Prepare for the Open MRI?

No special preparation is required prior to the Open MRI exam. You may eat normally and go about your daily routine. Continue to take any medication prescribed by your doctor unless otherwise specified.

Prior to entering the scan room for your exam, you will be asked to leave those items that are not compatible with a magnetic field in a safe place outside the scan room. Some of these items include:

    * Coins
    * Jewelry
    * Watches
    * Glasses
    * Credit cards
    * Hearing aids
    * Keys
    * Hair pins
    * Other metal objects

You may also be asked to remove make-up and dentures and to wear a hospital gown to avoid magnetic interference from belt buckles and zippers.

Once you are situated on the table, make sure that you are comfortable so that it is easy to remain still for the duration of the examination. Breathe normally. Once the examination has begun, you will hear a knocking sound that represents changes in the magnetic field. This is a normal part of the Open MRI process. At the conclusion of the exam, the technologist will assist you out of the scan room.

As mentioned previously, you will be asked to leave items that are incompatible with the magnetic field outside of the scan room. Other items that may be incompatible are implants and similar items. Check with your physician or Open MRI technologist if you have had any brain, ear, or eye surgeries or have any of the following:

    * Pacemaker
    * Neurostimulator (TENS unit)
    * Metal implants
    * Intrauterine device (IUD), etc.
    * Aneurysm clips
    * Surgical staples
    * Implanted drug infusion device

If you are pregnant, please notify your physican before any imaging procedure.