Why Choose Stand-Up MRI Scans?
A stand-up MRI is a novel way to get image scanning. Many patients find it more comfortable than a traditional MRI, and in some cases, this option can generate more accurate results than the alternative. To help you decide if a stand-up MRI is right for your situation, check out the following questions and answers.
What Is an MRI?
Short for magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI allows your doctor to see what’s happening inside your body without being invasive or using an x-ray. Instead, a magnetic field and radio waves work together to create diagnostic images.
What Is a Stand-Up MRI?
A stand-up MRI is a new model of the classic MRI machine. Rather than lying still on a flat surface, you get to stand up, sit down, or lean. To visualize the machine, simply imagine a traditional MRI machine but up on its side. These machines are also referred to as upright MRIs.
What Are the Benefits of a Stand-Up MRI?
If you don’t like the claustrophobic feel of a regular MRI, you may want to check out a stand-up MRI. As you’re upright and your head is exposed, you can even watch TV during the procedure. That makes it easier to stay still for some patients.
The results can also be more accurate. In particular, a stand-up MRI gets images of what’s happening to your body when you are in a weight bearing state. If you usually feel back pain, for example, when you are standing, this machine allows your doctors to see what’s happening in that position.
For example, one patient had nearly exhausted his treatment options before he turned to a stand-up MRI. With the traditional MRI machine, his doctors could only find a protrusion at the C5-C6 part of his spine, and that didn’t match up with his symptoms. However, when he got into a stand-up MRI machine, his medical team was able to see that the protrusion in that area was creating a proximal left C6-C7 neural foraminal stenosis, and the tendons in that area were impinged. As a result of the new information, this patient was able to get the treatment he needed.
What Are the Risks of a Stand-Up MRI?
As is the case with a traditional MRI or CT Scan, there are no known risks. However, if you have a pacemaker, an artificial heart valve, an IUD, or anything else that could interact negatively with the magnetic field, you need to let us know so we can adjust accordingly.
How Do You Make an Appointment for a Stand-Up MRI?
If you or your doctor think you could benefit from a stand-up MRI, contact AHI for an appointment today. Note that only our Atlanta location at 6590 Powers Ferry Road has this equipment. It’s the only stand-up MRI in the state of Georgia.
We have flexion and extension available for cervical and lumbar tests, and our machine is twice as strong as a regular MRI so you can rely on high-quality results. The machine works for patients weighing up to 500 pounds, and we work with most insurance plans and offer discounts for cash payments.
Source
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16760793