Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive procedure that uses a specialized magnetic field along with radio waves to create a detailed digital picture of a specific organ or region inside the body. MRI is often used to look for tumors, or to get an accurate picture of a patient’s liver, heart, or intestines, though it can be a highly effective tool in evaluating many types of conditions and other parts of the body.
Because MRI procedures don’t use ionizing radiation, which is used in x-rays and other imaging techniques, they offer a safer way for patients who will require multiple imaging sessions over the course of their treatment, and reduced risk for pregnant women and pediatric patients.
Depending upon the information needed and the part of the body to be imaged, an MRI session may last from 30 to 60 minutes. Desert Medical Imaging offers both standard closed “high field” MRI, which is a tube like spiral imaging concept with a short bore many people are familiar with, and an open MRI imaging concept, which can be used for certain types of scans, for patients who may be claustrophobic inside the tube, or larger patients who may not fit properly inside the tube.
For more information on this and other radiology procedures, please visit www.radiologyinfo.org.
