MRI and rings?

Author
Discussion

skeggysteve

Original Poster:

5,724 posts

216 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Wife has to have an MRI scan on her lower back but due to weight increase can't get her wedding ring off.

The private company that do the scan (artic trailer in the hospital carpark) say that she must remove the ring.
When questioned the person that answered the phone didn't quite have a perfect grasp of the English language so just insisted that my wife go straight to hospital as her finger swelling could be very serious.

Rang the GP and got told to go to a fire station to have it cut off!

I'm wondering why a gold ring (gold being non magnetic) need to be removed to have a M (magnetic) RI.

So does anyone have any real info on this or any ideas where to get a ring cut of without bothering the fire service!

Big_Dog

974 posts

184 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
I forgot to take one off for an MRI and it got a bit tingly so I held it over my head. I may have imagined the tingle but nothing drastic happened.

Happy82

15,077 posts

168 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Go to A&E to get the ring cut off, it'll take them 10 seconds (after the ten hour wait hehe )

I had an MRI scan a couple of years ago (for my knee) and I asked if I needed to remove my belt due to the metallic buckle but they said not to worry. I think it's mainly due to the risk of things getting pulled onto the scanner and becoming a danger to the occupant

These videos demonstrate it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KuzTyn45og

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BBx8BwLhqg&fea...

Gareth79

7,628 posts

245 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
I would suggest either a jeweler or the local fire station. I believe firefighters are perfectly happy to have the practice if they aren't busy, and the jeweler will probably do it for free in the hope of getting business to enlarge it.

The hospital don't care that you say it's non-ferrous, they just know that if you are wrong it could cause damage to their extremely expensive machine biggrin edit: Just seen the vids, I think a gold-plated steel ring would certain whip your arm up quickly which could injure the patient, although it would probably only do superficial damage to the machine.


Edited by Gareth79 on Tuesday 4th September 23:32

Funk

26,254 posts

208 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Christ - the chair was being pulled in with a force of nearly 2,000lbs...

The 2nd comment made me smile: "Yeah, bh..MAGNETS!!!!!" hehe

dreamer75

1,401 posts

227 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
One of the scans I had was in one of those portacabin things - no need to get undressed, just take off belts etc. Except I forgot about the 1 or 2p coin in the back pocket of my jeans which I was using as a screwdriver the day before.

It whipped out of my pocket so quickly I could feel the heat through my jeans, and fortunately just pinged off the outside of the machine. Could have done a lot of damage if it hit something more fragile !!!!

They said the previous week something similar happened and it broke the little mirror thing they put over your head.

(No idea why they didn't just make you take stuff off, like the "proper" hospital jobs - when they do my back I have to take everything off including earrings and wear one of their gown things)

z4chris99

11,218 posts

178 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
I had to get naked and put a gown on. remove all metal.

the noise is what does my head in!

Firefoot

1,600 posts

216 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
z4chris99 said:
the noise is what does my head in!
I had my latest MRI a couple of weeks ago and fell asleep in the machine smile

I have always had to remove anything metallic, they are not interested in what it is specifically made of. Better safe than sorry.

Also, if the ring is not coming off due to weight gain, then it is either diet time or get it cut off and made larger.

chrisj_abz

807 posts

184 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
Firefoot said:
z4chris99 said:
the noise is what does my head in!
I had my latest MRI a couple of weeks ago and fell asleep in the machine smile

I have always had to remove anything metallic, they are not interested in what it is specifically made of. Better safe than sorry.

Also, if the ring is not coming off due to weight gain, then it is either diet time or get it cut off and made larger.
ive been so close to falling asleep a couple times..

usually ive just worn some tracksuit trousers and a t shirt, they are happy enough with that.

K77 CTR

1,608 posts

181 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
Jewellers should do it otherwise just walk into your local fire station and if not busy they'll do it. The other option is a walk in centre or minor injury unit. I suggest you get it done regardless as it is easier to do as a routine thing rather than an emergency. Especially in this hot weather when her fingers will swell.

The_Doc

4,855 posts

219 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
Not that you'll be able to get round the regulations, but with no ferrous metal in the ring there is no reason why you cannot take it into the MRI machine.

I often refer patients to MRI with titanium (alloy) screws/plates inside them. Although the alloy is usually Ti6Al4V; titanium, aluminium and vanadium.

MRI radiographers are notoriously strict and have no sense of humour


Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
The_Doc said:
MRI radiographers are notoriously strict and have no sense of humour
hehe

Toilet Duck

1,329 posts

184 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
I had an MRI scan on my knee when I had a plate/screws in the top of my tibia, and another MRI on my ankle with plates/screws in the lower fibular. The MRI on my knee had a lot of artifacting because of the metal work, the MRI on my ankle was fine. I assume that one of the reasons they ask you to remove jewellery etc is because it messes with the scan, not just because you might get flung around the room.

skeggysteve

Original Poster:

5,724 posts

216 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
Thanks all for the replies.

Wife spoke to the hospital trust and they said she shouldn't have to remove a gold wedding ring but as the MRI is being done by a private company they may have different rules.

Good call on jewellers as I'll have to find one to get it repaired not sure why I didn't think it!

She MRI a few years ago only her head was in the machine, they called it a brain scan, for a ear problem so knows all about the noise. Yes.I did ask if they found a brain but I didn't get a reply just a 'look'!

The Doc - I did wonder how people with nut and bolts holding them together got on with an MRI.

dreamer75

1,401 posts

227 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
I find the noise soothing - can quite easily nod off to it, which is the best way to spend the time really!

Insanity Magnet

616 posts

152 months

Wednesday 5th September 2012
quotequote all
dreamer75 said:
I find the noise soothing - can quite easily nod off to it, which is the best way to spend the time really!
Soothing?! The one I was in the other week sounded like God's own stepper motor. Quite impressive given that apparently there are no moving parts other than the coolant pump (yes, I asked).

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
Jesus, if there's no moving parts, what makes that banging/knocking sound then? yikes

dreamer75

1,401 posts

227 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
Insanity Magnet said:
Soothing?! The one I was in the other week sounded like God's own stepper motor. Quite impressive given that apparently there are no moving parts other than the coolant pump (yes, I asked).
I know it's weird! The one in Windsor is like an animal - when you go in you can sort of hear it breathing. Then when it gets going it's soothing. I've bveen in a few times over the years and alwyas found it to be the same!

The one in the portacabin out near Fleet wasn't as soothing - perhaps something to do with the make/model?

Firefoot

1,600 posts

216 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
Driller said:
Jesus, if there's no moving parts, what makes that banging/knocking sound then? yikes
I thought the noise was the magnets switching on and off.

wacka wacka wacka wacka deb deb deb deb wacka wacka wacka wacka - was what the machine said to me just before I fell alseep smile

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Thursday 6th September 2012
quotequote all
skeggysteve said:
I'm wondering why a gold ring (gold being non magnetic) need to be removed to have a M (magnetic) RI.
Pure gold is non-magnetic.

If your wife's ring was 26K you wouldn't have these issues in removing it though.