MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) in EOC

Prior to the examination, the patient should notify the attending physician and the staff of the EOC Neuroradiology Service of the presence of any conditions, such as implanted pacemakers, defibrillators, neuromodulators, drug infusion pumps and/or additional electrical devices in the body, vascular clips, prostheses and/or metal objects within theinside the body, tattoos, eye or head surgery, possible or known state of pregnancy, previous adverse reactions to paramagnetic contrast medium (Gadolinium), and renal failure. All of these conditions should be discussed, as they may contraindicate the examination or necessitate important accommodations.

The patient is made to sit on a couch in the center of a magnetic field generated by the machine. The MRI examination does not use ionizing radiation (such as the X-rays used in CT); however, compared with CT, it requires relatively more time to perform, which varies depending on the investigation to be performed (20 to 25 minutes in most cases).
During the examination, it may be necessary to administer a contrast agent containing Gadolinium, called paramagnetic contrast medium, in order to improve the accuracy with which abnormalities are recognized and characterized. In some cases, when it is necessary to localize some important functions of the brain, such as movement, vision, and language, a "functional" (fMRI) examination is performed before brain surgery, during which the patient is asked to perform tasks such as moving fingers or reading words.