MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces exceptional images of soft and hard tissues, clearly highlighting damaged and diseased tissues and revealing the earliest signs of disease. The expert team at Invision Sally Jobe performs MRIs at their offices in Aurora, Denver, Littleton, Parker, Golden, Greenwood Village, and Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. They operate an open-bore MRI that reduces claustrophobia and scans faster than conventional MRIs. Call Invision Sally Jobe at 720-493-3700 to schedule an MRI today.

How does an MRI produce images?

The MRI scanner is shaped like a donut. In conventional MRI scanners, the opening in the center (the donut hole) creates a 3-foot-long tunnel.

By comparison, the open-bore MRI at Invision Sally Jobe has a wider opening and a shorter tunnel, allowing part of your body to be outside the scanner. The open MRI makes the scan easier to tolerate and less claustrophobic.

While you lie on a bed inside the opening, the machine uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create movement in the smallest subatomic particles inside cells. The MRI’s innovative technology picks up the particle movements, and a computer translates them into highly detailed images of the structures inside your body.

When would I need an MRI?

MRI scans excel at creating high-resolution images, revealing changes inside your body that aren’t visible with other imaging techniques.

While an MRI produces great images of your bones, the scanner is known for its exceptional images of soft tissues, including muscles, cartilage, nerves, and all the organs in your body. 

Physicians order MRIs to diagnose a wide range of conditions, including:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Spine and brain tumors
• Brain aneurysms
• Herniated discs
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Shoulder injuries
• Knee injuries
• Arthritis

MRIs reveal signs of arthritis and cancer at the earliest possible stage.

What should I expect during an MRI?

You need to lie still throughout the scan, typically lasting 20-30 minutes (or longer for some specialized scans). After positioning you on the bed, your radiologist may use padding to help prevent movement.

The MRI scanner makes banging and buzzing noises, so your technologist gives you earplugs or headphones to wear. MRI scans don’t require a sedative unless you’re claustrophobic, and even then, many people can tolerate the open-bore device.

However, the team typically gives sedatives to children younger than 10 to help them tolerate the scan, which is often frightening for them. Two adults can also stay in the room with children.

Some MRI scans require a contrast dye to highlight specific tissues. If you need contrast, your provider injects it through an intravenous (IV) line; then you have a scan before and after receiving the contrast substance.

Call the Invision Sally Jobe Patient Access Team at 720-493-3700 to schedule an MRI today.