Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI):

An MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging scan, uses a powerful magnet and a computer to take pictures (images) of organs, the brain, joints, bone and other soft tissues inside your body. MRI allows clinicians to see your body in narrow slices. The pictures can be taken from the side, from the front or from the bottom as cross-sections. An MRI is safe and effective and does not use ionizing radiation.

Your MRI exam may require an intravenous (IV) injection of contrast so that the blood vessels being evaluated are better visualized. This IV contrast has a low incidence of allergies, but please inform the technologist providing your service of any known allergies you may have.

Typically, the entire MRI exam can be accomplished in 30 to 45 minutes. Please let your technologist know if you are claustrophobic. Conscious sedation for claustrophobic patients may be required and administered by a medical staff physician.

Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center is currently equipped with a GE 1.5 Tesla scanner and routinely performs outpatient procedures from 7:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday.

Overall Benefits of MRI:

  •     An MRI of the soft-tissue structures of the body has a higher sensitivity to identify and characterize abnormalities and focal lesions than other imaging methods
  •     An MRI is valuable in diagnosing a broad range of conditions, including cancer, heart and vascular disease, muscular and bone abnormalities, and more
  •     An MRI can help physicians evaluate both the structure of an organ and how it is working
  •     An MRI enables the detection of abnormalities that might be obscured by bone with other imaging methods
  •     The contrast material used in MRI exams is less likely to produce an allergic reaction than the iodine-based materials used for conventional X-rays and CT scanning.

To schedule your next imaging procedure, please call Radiology Scheduling at (903) 870-3604.