MRI safety

[Willowagain]

I'm very worried at the moment about the possible health effects caused by MRI machines.MRI machines don't use radiation like a ct scanner I know this,but they do use electromagnetic fields.does this not make them comparable to mobile phones?except for possible much much worse..I think we all know now that mobile phones carry some risk.I have had three MRI scans to my head due to chronic headaches.I'm totally freaking out please help.

[anxietyoverload]

Im sure you will be fine :)
People have MRI's everyday, and i can ever think of any one been harmed by them :) x

[Willowagain]

Thank you for your reply.it just seems to me that an MRI machine could be dangerous for exactly the same reason a mobile phone could be dangerous....except for worse due to it's higher power;-(

[anxietyoverload]

if you think about it....how many times a day do you use your mobile phone??
no where near as many times as you have an MRI scan, so it wont cause you any damage at all :)

[Hazel B]

I had 2 MRIs last year and was told it's the safest scan, as it's electromagnetic power, not XRays. The magnets have a totally different power to that of mobile phones; they are not comparable.

Thousands of MRIs are done every week and there are no stories of injury/risk. You have to be very honest on the initial questionnaire about metal in your body or in your clothes, that's the only risk as the metal interferes with the magnets. I had to take off my glasses and remove hair clips as they have metal.

You can ask the staff on the day or call in advance to let them know your worries. They should do all they can to put your mind at ease.

[countrygirl]

I have had 9 mri scans over past 20 years due to spinal problems and a cyst on my brain.

There is no known long term risk from an mri scan that they know of and they have been using these scans for about 30 years in nhs and longer in USA as they had the technology earlier.

The magnetic fields are totally different from that used in mobile phone technology so there is no comparison.

Someone having a full body CT scan is exposed to same amount of radiation as a survivor of Hiroshima was so I know which scan I would choose for safety!

[lordmac001]

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a way of obtaining very detailed images of organs and tissues throughout the body without the need for x-rays or "ionizing" radiation. Instead, MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, rapidly changing magnetic fields, and a computer to create images that show whether or not there is an injury, disease process, or abnormal condition present. For this procedure, the patient is placed within the MR scanner—typically a large, tunnel or doughnut-shaped device that is open at both ends. The powerful magnetic field aligns atomic particles called protons that are present in most of the body's tissues. The applied radio waves then cause these particles to produce signals that are picked up by a receiver within the MR scanner. The signals are specially characterized using the rapidly changing magnetic field, and, with the help of computer processing, very sharp images of tissues are created as "slices" that can be viewed in any orientation.