6 Benefits of a whole-body MRI Scan

What is Whole Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic test for ruling out the patient`s abnormality by using magnetic radio waves. A Whole-Body MRI or also called a Full Body MRI is multiple scans of the entire body with an aim to diagnose any malfunctions inside the body. It allows for to detection of any early-stage disease or growing pathological condition, and the treatment to that is possible. The whole-body MRI scan is useful for a routine check-up of an individual who does not have any symptoms. A whole-body scan aims to identify any potential inflammation, tumour, obstructions, etc. The whole-body MRI takes about an hour to complete the scan with multiple intervals to ensure that the setup of the equipment is necessary. Benefits of Whole-Body MRI

1. Safety: An MRI involves magnetic radio waves to produce detailed images of the body. As it is a radiation-free scan and does not involve any kind of radiations unlike X-rays, or gamma rays.
2. Time Efficient:  Work can be done in less time as there is advancement in technology, as older machines take a longer time for the whole-body scan.
3. High Reliability: It is easy to differentiate the tissues structure in whole body MRI, as it has high accuracy of Images than the CT scan and Ultrasound. Therefore medical practitioners prefer MRI, even though MRI patient experience is not very pleasant.
4. Better Prognosis: It allows for an early-stage detection of the diseases which is the main purpose of the whole-body MRI. It has been helpful in treating different condition such as Tumours, chronic illness, and life-threatening diseases and saved from the consequences.
5. Follow-Up Scans: A Whole-Body MRI is an effective follow-up tool, as multiple follow-up scans are required on a periodic basis. A follow up CT scan of the whole body is harmful to the patients because of the radiation, where as a whole-body MRI Scan Experience is safe as it does not involve any type of radiation. The follow-up scans are also reduced making the MRI patient experience stress free and reliable. 
6. High Ability to Focus on Suspected Lesion: A whole body MRI tends to focus more on suspected areas of lesion and has the highest ability to focus on lesion because of the high accuracy of images to differentiate between a normal and the abnormal tissues.

  Patient Preparation: An MRI machine is a powerful magnet and therefore before undergoing an MRI Scan Experience, the patient has to prepare before entering the MRI room. The individual has to wear a thin cotton gown and remove all the metal objects from the body. For example, jewellery, hairpins, piercings, bracelets, undergarments with metal, metal dentures, hearing aids, etc.   One also has to mentally prepare before undergoing any type of MRI scan, as the MRI patient experience  is very scary and noisy.   What happens during the MRI Whole-body scan? In an MRI of the body, the patient has to be remained still in a small compact bore without any movement. Due to the small size of the bore, sometimes the MRI patient experience is claustrophobic. It is common to feel little warm on the area of the body part where the images are taken because of the strong magnetic waves of the magnet. MRI is safe and free of radiation. An MRI machine is a very noisy machine and the patient becomes anxious because of the noise generated when the radio waves are activated during the MRI Scan Experience. An earplugs or headphones is provided to reduce the noise from the MRI scanner. The MRI patient experience is made more comfortable and assuring even when the individual is alone in the MRI scan room and the technologist can have a two-way communication with the patient by means of an intercom. In some cases, the relative of the individual can accompany in the MRI room with all the safety precautions being taken. Children may accompany with their parents in the MRI room, as it will reduce the anxiety in children without repeating the scan.  In some cases, where contrast is needed to rule out certain abnormalities in the body. The patient is given a contrast injection through the intravenous route and may feel discomfort during the injection. Due to the contrast injection, the individual may get a metallic taste in the mouth.   What happens post MRI whole body scan?  The individual can resume to regular activities without any precautions as it is a safe scan. The MRI Scan Experience for whole body scan can be exhausted and may feel little warm because of the magnetic radio-waves going through the body during the scan. Unless when the contrast scan, the patient has to be under observation as a safety precaution. In case, where sedation is given during the MRI scan, the patient has to be kept in observation until the sedation period gets over. In certain cases where there are chances of allergy due to contrast, there tends to be the patient getting side-effects of the contrast. In such cases the radiologist will be available for immediate action. How is a Whole-body MRI scan different? The whole-body MRI scan is a scan of the entire body which makes it beneficial to detect any abnormality in the patient`s body. There are chances that a CT scan miss out certain abnormal tissue because of the Image quality, therefore a whole-body MRI can help in making out the differences in normal and abnormal due to the high-resolution Image quality. One of the major advantages of MRI over other imaging modalities is that it does not involve any form radiation, making the MRI scan experience radiation-free and safe. The follow-up scan of whole-body can be repeated as it is not harmful and also reduces multiple different scans of the body.