What is an MRI?

For the patient who has never had an MRI, the prospect of having one can be somewhat disconcerting. Most people have heard that the machine is very confining and noisy, and that they will be required to lie still for a very long time in a very small space. It can be a difficult experience, especially for the mildly claustrophobic, but there are ways of making the experience of having an MRI less of a challenge. What follows is a very basic explanation of what the MRI is and does, and what the experience is like from a patient’s point of view.

What is an MRI?
MRI is the shortened name for magnetic resonance imaging. It uses a combination of radio waves and magnetic fields to allow a radiologist to view the internal body structure, and is usually considered to give a more complete picture than Xrays or ultrasounds, depending on what you’re looking for. The MRI machine is able to image a patient’s body in a way that can analyze different tissues within the body, and can provide two dimensional or three dimensional images. It is a noninvasive procedure.

The MRI machine itself is very large, most measuring seven feet high, seven feet wide, and ten feet long. There are some more recent models that are smaller and lighter. The magnet itself is a large cylinder. In its center, there is a movable platform that the patient lies on and which is slid in into and out of the magnet.