MR Examination Precautions

  Note: All patients (except for emergencies) need to fast for at least 2 hours, bring contrast to the MR scan with a family member, and sign an informed consent form prior to the examination. Inpatients should also ensure that they have “no outstanding charges”.  CT-enhanced scans are not recommended for patients with a history of severe gadolinium allergy.  Before the MR scan, please take care to protect the blood vessels at the injection site. It is normal for a small amount of blood to return in the intravenous needle.  During the MR enhancement scan, the patient often feels a general warming sensation (lasting about 8–15 seconds) because the contrast agent is injected into the human vein at a certain flow rate, which is a normal phenomenon, and the patient should cooperate with the examination as much as possible at this time, otherwise it will directly lead to the failure of the examination.  After the MR enhancement scan, patients are advised to drink as much water as possible and observe in the MR observation room for half an hour without any adverse reaction before leaving.  When MR-enhanced scans are done in patients with liver and kidney ureteral bladder, delayed scans may be done due to medical needs, which may result in a longer examination time.  Other precautions: MR examinations (plain and enhanced scans) are scheduled by appointment, and outpatients are asked to make an appointment in the order of “check-in time” at the “registration and film pick-up window”. Inpatients will be notified by phone of the examination time by our medical staff.  The appointment time for MR examination is determined according to the regular examination time for each patient in general. However, because each patient’s site to be examined, complexity of their condition, cooperation during the examination, need for delayed scans, and machine status vary, MR appointment times are not very accurate. Please understand that if a patient ahead of you has an extended MR exam time, this may delay your MR exam appointment.  Patients with various types of metal implants should confirm the composition of the metal implants before the MR exam, especially for cardiac and large-vessel implants, and must provide product instructions or consent from the physician in charge to ensure the safety of the MR exam; if necessary, the metal implants should be removed before the MR exam. Individual patients can approach the center of the magnet between scans to clarify the occurrence of magnet attraction.  Patients with external fixation brackets for fractures should have the metal external fixation brackets removed from the examination site if possible before MR examinations.  It is important to keep the patient calm during MR examinations of infants and young children and agitated patients in order to cooperate well with the examination.  Because MR examinations are free of X-ray radiation, pregnant women can have 1.5T MRI examinations.  If you have images from outside the hospital, please bring them with you and give them to the examining physician for comparison.  Individual cases with complicated conditions require consultation and review before the report can be written and reviewed, and you may pick up your test results a little later than the appointed time.  Please do not store the film in a humid or hot environment. In summer, please do not put the film in your car to avoid high temperature or exposure to the sun, which may cause film contamination.  Since MR scan coils are very expensive, please take care to carry them gently to avoid damage.  Even in emergency situations, patients or other personnel are not allowed to enter the magnet room without the consent of the medical staff to avoid danger.