Last month, I had to go in for my first MRI. I was needing to have three
separate scans performed, which would cause me to need to be in the MRI
machine for an extended period of time. I am already a bit
claustrophobic as it is, and I'm a bit overweight and have large breasts, so I looked
at that little hole in the traditional MRI machine and could feel the
panic rise in my chest.
"There's no way my boobs are fitting through that tiny hole. What if I get stuck? I won't be able to move. No! No way!"
Now, reality says that the hole's measurement was more than enough to accommodate even my large breasts, but that's not what my brain was telling me when it screamed: DANGER!
What Is a Traditional MRI?
A traditional MRI is a type of machine that scans the body using magnets, thus the name Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A traditional MRI has a tube that is a bit larger than the length of an average human body, and a table that extends in front of the tube. The patient lies on the table, is positioned properly, and then the table slides inside the imaging tube.
The space inside the tube is confined, and the tube is closed on one end and open on the other. Unfortunately, most MRIs require a person be slid in head first, meaning the open end is near the feet. Once inside the tube, the patient cannot sit up, because there is not enough room to do so. Therefore, the only way to get out of the tube is by sliding back out. Even with the mechanical assistance of sliding the tray electronically, it takes time to get a patient out of the tube, and that can seem like an eternity for someone having a claustrophobic reaction.
Additionally, traditional MRIs can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour to perform the completed scan, so the patient has to spend a good deal of time in the tube.
What's an Open MRI?
An open MRI is a technology created by Fonar
that allows the patient to sit or lie between the magnets that perform
the resonance imaging, but without having to be encased in a tube. The
magnets themselves can
be moved to be properly positioned where the patient needs them, so the
patient is only surrounded by the machine exactly where they are being
scanned. So for an abdominal scan, the head, chest and feet would be
'open' and not encased in a tube or in the machine.
The advantage of this is that patients feel less claustrophobic, are able to be 'inside' the machine for longer, and this reduces the overall time needed to perform the MRI and also produces better compliance with the patient being still during imaging.
With the open MRI, patients can be placed in multiple positions as well, to get the best image possible, while in a traditional MRI, patients are left mostly to lie flat on their backs and not move.
What's an Upright MRI?
An upright MRI is what I ultimately had done when I needed my MRI of my spine and abdomen. The upright MRI is innovative particularly for spinal injuries and scans, because it allows the spine to be imaged in the position in which the patient actually feels pain.
For me, this meant that I could get the MRI of my spine both standing and sitting, which is when I feel the most pain. I don't feel spinal pain much at all when I'm reclining or lying flat, so the MRI wouldn't actually show the spine in the position in which the pain is caused, in order to see clearly what exactly causes the increased pain.
With the upright MRI by Fonar, I was able to get the MRI by walking in between the two large magnetic imaging devices to sit in a chair that raises and lowers me to the proper position, and then the imaging begins. For the standing MRI, the chair is replaced with a platform, which also raises and lowers to position the patient.
The front of the upright MRI and the top of it is completely open. In fact, my best friend sat in front of me and there was a TV on the wall up above the machine, where I was able to watch television and chat with my friend, as long as I stayed still and didn't move.
Advantages of the Upright and Open MRI Over Traditional MRI?
The advantage of this is that patients feel less claustrophobic, are able to be 'inside' the machine for longer, and this reduces the overall time needed to perform the MRI and also produces better compliance with the patient being still during imaging.
With the open MRI, patients can be placed in multiple positions as well, to get the best image possible, while in a traditional MRI, patients are left mostly to lie flat on their backs and not move.
What's an Upright MRI?
An upright MRI is what I ultimately had done when I needed my MRI of my spine and abdomen. The upright MRI is innovative particularly for spinal injuries and scans, because it allows the spine to be imaged in the position in which the patient actually feels pain.
For me, this meant that I could get the MRI of my spine both standing and sitting, which is when I feel the most pain. I don't feel spinal pain much at all when I'm reclining or lying flat, so the MRI wouldn't actually show the spine in the position in which the pain is caused, in order to see clearly what exactly causes the increased pain.
With the upright MRI by Fonar, I was able to get the MRI by walking in between the two large magnetic imaging devices to sit in a chair that raises and lowers me to the proper position, and then the imaging begins. For the standing MRI, the chair is replaced with a platform, which also raises and lowers to position the patient.
The front of the upright MRI and the top of it is completely open. In fact, my best friend sat in front of me and there was a TV on the wall up above the machine, where I was able to watch television and chat with my friend, as long as I stayed still and didn't move.
Advantages of the Upright and Open MRI Over Traditional MRI?
The advantages for me were clearly that I didn't have to be encased in a
tube. I didn't feel claustrophobic at all during the upright MRI. I saw
the open MRI machine as well, and while it was a bit more claustrophobic (the big magnetic descends down onto the body and It
made me think of a trash compactor - I really don't want to be
smashed!), I know that if I had to have an open MRI, I could handle it a
lot better than a traditional one.
Also, the open MRI and upright MRI were both cheaper per scan than the traditional MRI would have been. While prices will likely vary depending on where you're located, for me, it was only $600 per scan, before any insurance. And most insurances do, according to the clinic I went to, pay for upright MRI. The traditional MRI was quoted as $1800 per scan, and I've been told by some people that this was cheap.
Another advantage, as mentioned earlier, with the upright or open MRI is that the patient can actually position themselves in the way that the pain or problem is experienced, so the MRI is more likely to show a problem that correlates to the pain than when using a traditional flat recumbent position in the traditional MRI.
Obese patients are also more likely to be able to be scanned with an open MRI or upright MRI than they are a traditional tube MRI. The clinic I went to told us that the weight limit on the one machine was 400 pounds and the weight limit on the other was 600 pounds. According to multiple places I found online, the weight limit on a traditional MRI was only 350 pounds, and for some people, even less if their body habitus was more round than tall, simply because they won't fit into the tube.
Disadvantages of the Upright or Open MRI vs. Traditional MRI?
The disadvantages of upright or open MRIs is that they don't do quite as good of quality as a traditional one.
Also, the open MRI and upright MRI were both cheaper per scan than the traditional MRI would have been. While prices will likely vary depending on where you're located, for me, it was only $600 per scan, before any insurance. And most insurances do, according to the clinic I went to, pay for upright MRI. The traditional MRI was quoted as $1800 per scan, and I've been told by some people that this was cheap.
Another advantage, as mentioned earlier, with the upright or open MRI is that the patient can actually position themselves in the way that the pain or problem is experienced, so the MRI is more likely to show a problem that correlates to the pain than when using a traditional flat recumbent position in the traditional MRI.
Obese patients are also more likely to be able to be scanned with an open MRI or upright MRI than they are a traditional tube MRI. The clinic I went to told us that the weight limit on the one machine was 400 pounds and the weight limit on the other was 600 pounds. According to multiple places I found online, the weight limit on a traditional MRI was only 350 pounds, and for some people, even less if their body habitus was more round than tall, simply because they won't fit into the tube.
Disadvantages of the Upright or Open MRI vs. Traditional MRI?
The disadvantages of upright or open MRIs is that they don't do quite as good of quality as a traditional one.
This usually doesn't matter
though, unless needing to image for tiny things, and even then, the
upright or open MRI should be enough to pinpoint things, and then a
traditional MRI can still be used to zone in exactly where a problem
exists.
Another disadvantages it that some insurance companies still don't recognize the upright and open MRIs as viable, so they do not yet pay for the imaging on those machines. The clinic I went to, however, says they've been successful getting most major carriers to pay.
Another disadvantages it that some insurance companies still don't recognize the upright and open MRIs as viable, so they do not yet pay for the imaging on those machines. The clinic I went to, however, says they've been successful getting most major carriers to pay.
Lastly, the only other disadvantage I see with using upright or open
MRIs is that there simply aren't enough of them available. There are
only three locations I found throughout the entire Houston / Galveston
area
of Texas, which is a big medical mecca. It would have been impossible
for me to have an open MRI or upright MRI anywhere close to my old
hometown in west Texas, and I would imagine folks in smaller cities and
other parts of the country might have trouble finding an open or upright
MRI center.
If you can find one though, and you need an MRI, I highly recommend seeking an open or upright MRI instead of a traditional one, because it will save time, money, nerves and might even result in better images of what your actual problem is. Upright MRI did for me, and I'll be using the open MRI next month for an abdominal scan too.
If you can find one though, and you need an MRI, I highly recommend seeking an open or upright MRI instead of a traditional one, because it will save time, money, nerves and might even result in better images of what your actual problem is. Upright MRI did for me, and I'll be using the open MRI next month for an abdominal scan too.
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