MRI

If an MRI examination is recommended by your Atlanta Chiropractor, you can expect to be positioned on the examination table that enters the magnetic portion of the MRI.
Straps and bolsters may be used to help you remain still and maintain the appropriate position when lying within the device. Devices that contain coils capable of transmitting radio waves are placed around or adjacent to the area of the body that’s being reviewed.
You will be placed into the magnet portion of the MRI unit, and the radiologist or technologist will perform the procedure from at a computer that’s located outside of the examination room. If a contrast material is used during the test, it will be injected into the intravenous line (IV) after some scans have been conducted.
You can expect additional imaging to take place once this happens. Once your MRI examination is complete, you may be asked to wait until the technologist or radiologist review the images in case additional images are required.
Most MRI exams do not take more than an hour to complete.

MRI scans are a noninvasive medical test that our AICA Atlanta Chiropractors use to diagnose and treat medical conditions.
The type of detail MR images produces allow our Chiropractors to evaluate various parts of the body to determine the presence of certain diseases and physical conditions.

The images are examined on a computer monitor, transmitted electronically, and printed or copied to a CD for a full review.

MR imaging of the body is utilized to review:

• Heart
• Liver
• Biliary tract
• Kidneys
• Spleen
• Bowel
• Pancreas
• Adrenal glands.
• Uterus
• Ovaries
• Prostate glands
• Blood vessels (including MR Angiography)
• Lymph nodes

Our Atlanta Chiropractors use MRI scans to help diagnose or monitor treatment for conditions such as:

• Tumors of the chest, pelvis or abdomen
• Diseases of the liver
• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Heart problems, such as congenital heart disease
• Malformations of the blood vessels and inflammation

When preparing for an MRI scan, it is important to know that you might be required to wear a gown during the examination.
Recommendations around drinking and eating before an MRI exam vary with the specific exam and also with the imaging facility. Unless one of our Chiropractors tells you otherwise, you may continue with your regular daily routine and consume whatever medications or food you are used to.
Some MRI examinations require you to receive an injection of contrast material into the bloodstream. One of our trained technologists, radiologists, or nurses might ask you about any possible allergies you may have, such as an allergy x-ray contrast material, iodine, drugs, food, or the environment if you happen to have asthma.
It’s important to know that the contrast material most often found within an MRI exam contains a particular type of metal that’s called “gadolinium.” Although it is not common for patients to have an allergy to a gadolinium-based contrast agent if you are allergic, you are still able to move forward with the examination once appropriate pre-medications are administered.
In these cases, your specific consent is asked for and required to proceed. You should alert our Chiropractors if you have any critical health problems, or if you have recently undergone surgery.
Certain medical conditions like kidney disease may prevent you from being able to receive gadolinium contrast for the MRI examination. If you have a history of kidney disease or have had a liver transplant, it will be necessary to perform a blood test to determine whether your kidneys are functioning appropriately.
Jewelry and other types of accessories should be kept at home since your Chiropractor will ask you to remove them before following through with the MRI exam. Metal and electronic items are not allowed in the exam room since they can interfere with the magnetic field the MRI produces.

Specific items that are not allowed include:

• Pens
• Hairpins
• Jewelry
• Watches
• Credit cards
• Hearing aids
• Removable dental work
• Pocket knives
• Eyeglasses
• Body piercings

In most cases, an MRI exam is safe for patients with metal implants, except for a few select types.

Patients with the following implants must alert their Chiropractor if they have any of the following items:

• Cochlear (ear) implant
• Clips used for brain aneurysms
• Metal coils placed within blood vessels
• Cardiac defibrillators
• Artificial limbs or metallic joint prostheses
• Implanted nerve stimulators
• Metal pins

Unlike conventional X-ray examinations and computed tomography (CT) scans, MRI does not require ionizing radiation.
Instead, radio waves redirect alignment of hydrogen atoms that organically exist within your body when you are in the scanner, without causing any chemical changes in your tissues.
As the hydrogen atoms settle back into their natural position, they let out a particular form of energy that varies based on the type of body tissue selected. The MR scanner then collects this kind of energy and transmits a picture of the scanned tissues.
Our computers process the signals and generate a series of images, each of which highlights a thin slice of the body. The images are then studied from different angles by the interpreting radiologist, who reports their findings to your Chiropractor.