Common MRI Side Effects

Common MRI Side Effects

Despite the intricacies and complexities of the technology involved in an MRI machine, it is a safe and painless procedure.  The test is non invasive and the magnetic fields and radio waves used are not strong enough will not cause permanent damage to your body.  As long as you follow the precautions before using an MRI, you will be fine.

However, it is still possible to deal with a few MRI side effects once the procedure is complete.  Because there is no physical harm to the patient, the side effects are, for the most part, psychological due to the nature of the MRI scan (it is not as scary as it might sound.)

Concerns During MRI Scan

To scan your body, you are required to lay down on a patient table, which then slides you into the center of the MRI machine.  The whole procedure can take about a half an hour, in which you will be flat on your back the whole time.  The opening in the chamber where you will be will be quite small.  It is probably no greater than 4 feet in diameter.  For these reasons, the procedure can cause a lot of discomfort for the patient.

Laying on your back for a prolonged period of time might cause some pain in your back.  It could also cause in other areas from lying on an uncomfortable patient table.  These issues are temporary, but it is worth noting for those with chronic pain in certain joints or areas.

During the test, you must lie still in the very small cavity of the MRI machine.  If you have to undergo a scan that requires your whole body to be placed in the center, those with claustrophobia will have a problem going through with the MRI scan.  This is relatively common among people needing an MRI scan, so your radiologist or technician will understand your issue.

Possible solutions are to take medication that will suppress your nerves or just sedate you altogether.  The best option is to use an open MRI machine, which will not encase you and avoid your claustrophobia.  Other than these two options, if your claustrophobia is not very serious, the next best thing is to close your eyes, take deep breaths and imagine you are on a sunny and peaceful beach.

The MRI machine is quite loud during the scan, so the noise can cause problems.  For example, people that suffer from migranes will not be take a liking to the loudness.  Common MRI side effects include:

Headaches

Dizziness

Sweating

Nausea

Fatigue

Fortunately, these symptoms are temporary, mostly caused by discomfort.  Again, tell your doctor about any concerns you may have to avoid these side effects and make the process as easy as possible.

Posted in: MRI Side Effects by admin / Tags: mri machines, mri safety, mri scan, MRI Side Effects

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Nephrogenic System Fibrosis

The biggest concern of getting an MRI scan is the possible side effect of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, or NSF for short.  It is a rare disease that causes the excessive growth of connective tissue, known as fibrosis.  It is a relatively new disease, as it was not until 1997 that the first case of NSF was identified.  The scary part is that it was not until 2006 that the first connection between gadolinium contrast agents and NSF was made – 9 years later than the first case.

What Is NSF?

NSF is a condition that causes extra fibrous tissue to grow throughout the body.  This can affect the skin, joints and organs.  As of now, it is deemed an incurable disease and will cause permanent damage to the patient.

Fibrosis can cause the skin to feel hardened and tight.  It will be difficult to stretch and possibly painful as well.  The joints in the body can become severely limited in motion and create pain too.  Fibrosis of the organs can prevent the correct functionality of the organs and can be potentially fatal to the person.

Here is a timetable detailing key events in the past two decades from a report titled “Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis and Gadolinium: The Perfect Storm,” by Patrick M. Colletti, published at the American Journal of Roentgenology:

Gadolinium and NSF Timetable

Who Is At Risk?

Of course, NSF is a very serious side effect of an MRI scan.  First and foremost, you do not have to worry about NSF is your MRI scan does not require you to get a gadolinium contrast agent injection.  You may need a gadolinium injection to investigate the blood flow in your body or any analyze any tumors.

Gadolinium based contrast agents have very low concentrations of gadolinium where they should not put a human at risk of developing NSF.  Normally, the body should be able to flush any traces of it out through the kidneys with time.  However, people that suffer from renal failure (kidney failure) are at great risk of side effects.  Because they cannot pump out the contrast dye from their system, the gadolinium will linger and possibly lead to NSF.

The European Medicines Agency has published a report in which they concluded that contrast agents that have a linear molecular structure pose the greatest risk of NSF, while those that have a cyclic molecular structure pose the least.  The types of contrast agents that they included in the report were:

Linear Cyclic

Omniscan ProHance

OptiMARK Gadovist

Magnevist Dotarem

MultiHance

Primovist

Vasovist