New medical technology available to patients of HCA hospitals in London
When would you need to have this?
MRI scanners reveal any damage to soft tissue, such as stress fractures, ligament, cartilage or muscle damage which wouldn't show up on an x-ray. The Extremity MRI Scanner is used for soft tissues of the extremities, including knees, ankles, heels, toes, wrists, hands, fingers and elbows
Description
An Extremity MRI scan (or magnetic resonance imaging) uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create very high quality imagery pictures on a computer of tissues, organs and structures inside the body. This scanner is a smaller, dedicated extremity design and therefore only the patient's limbs need to be inserted into the magnet, reducing any claustrophobia
What does an MRI scan involve?
The magnet creates a strong magnetic field, to align the protons of hydrogen atoms. These are then exposed to a beam of radio waves which spins the various protons of the body, causing them to produce a signal. This signal is detected by the receiver portion of the MRI scanner, which is then processed by a computer, to produce an image on screen
Safety
MRI scans are painless and safe. Unlike x-rays and some other imaging tests, an MRI scan does not use any radiation. Following an MRI scan, the patient can continue with their daily activities as normal.
