Riverhills Healthcare

Diagnostic MRI

Preparing for Your MRI

For an MRI you may follow your normal daily routine. You may eat, drink and take any medications that you normally use unless instructed by a Wellington Diagnostic Center staff member. Most scans do not require any diet restrictions. Please do not wear any eye makeup for a head scan because it might contain metallic particles that could degrade the images. Wear loose, comfortable clothing that does not have metal zippers, snaps or clasps. This will allow you to stay in your own clothes.

You can listen to your preferred music on the radio during your scan or you may also bring your favorite CD to play!

While MR is a safe diagnostic tool, a powerful magnet is used. The magnet will attract metal objects if they are taken into the scan room. You will be asked to remove jewelry as well as any other any metal objects. A locker will be provided to put these things in. ATM and credit cards should also be placed in the locker as the MRI scanner will erase their magnetic codes. We also need to be aware of certain conditions. Please tell your physician or contact the center prior to your examination if you have any of the following:

	Check This List!
	Pacemaker or Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillator
	Aneurysm clip in the brain
	Permanent hair implants
	Implanted spinal cord stimulator
	Fractured bone treated with rods, screws, metal plates
	Hearing (cochlear/stapes) implant
	I.U.D.
	Insulin or infusion pump
	Eye implant
	Harrington rod
	Nicotine patch
	Nitroglycerin patch
	Aortic clip
	Wire sutures
	Shrapnel
	Heart valve
	Joint replacement
	Any other metallic implants
	Have you ever been a metal worker or had metal in the eye?
Do you have any history of kidney disease, failure, transplant, or dialysis? Have you ever been a metal worker or had metal in the eye? You may need to have an X-ray of your head before undergoing an MRI. This will check to see if there are any tiny slivers of metal in your eyes, which could move during the MRI and possibly damage your eye. Are you pregnant or breast-feeding? If you are pregnant please tell the technologist prior to the scan. The effects of a magnetic field on a fetus are still not well known. Your doctor may recommend postponing the exam or choose an alternative exam
Please remember to bring the following items to your appointment!
	Any previous radiology test images/reports of the body part being examined (xrays, CT/MRI/Nuclear scans, or ultrasounds)
	Any information cards relating to any metal implants
	Your insurance card(s)