Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a method of obtaining detailed pictures of internal body structures without the use of radiation or radioactive substances of any kind. This is accomplished by placing the patient in a magnetic field while harmless radio waves are turned on and off. This causes the body to emit its own weak radio signals which vary according to tissue characteristics.  These signals are then picked up by a sensitive antenna and feed to a computer which produces detailed images of the body for interpretation by trained radiologist.

About nine out of ten MRI machines now in use require the patient to slide head-first into a narrow metal tunnel.  Those units produce high-quality images, but the enclosed tunnel causes "anxiety-related reactions" in approximately "4% to 30% of patients," according to recent study in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

 

Some MRI machines have open sides and ends.  But most of those "open" units also have low-strength magnets (only one-twentieth [1/20th] as powerful as the tunnel-type magnetic at left and [1/6th] as powerful as the advanced Open-Air MRI at right).  This low-magnet strength results in lower quality images with less detail, providing les of the information doctors reed to diagnose your condition accurately.

The advanced Open-Air MRI at Mirage Imaging Center is completely open to eliminate patient claustrophobia.  In addition, its magnet is six times stronger than most other open-air-type MRIs, resulting in greater image detail, equal to that of tunnel-type units.  Doctors receive the information they need for an accurate diagnosis, while you relax in complete open-air comfort... the best of both worlds.
   
 
 

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