MRI in 2 weeks
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The Highlander
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I thought CI was not allows in MRI. Hmm...
Frisky Feline
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It s going to be interesting
Med-El implants are approved for 1.5T MRI scans, with the magnet in place. Their next generation implant will be approved for 3.0T MRI scan with the magnet in place.
Yes it will be, as the results will shed more light on another health issue I am facing.
cdmeggers
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With AB and Cochlear implants, the magnet has to be removed, and limited to I think 1.3 or 1.5 for the MRI. and as Pauly said, MedEl's implant doesn't need the magnet removed for the minimum.
Does the MRI place know you have an implant? When I was talking to the MRI place before my implant, they said they do not do MRI's on anyone with any implant, even if the implant is rated to use MRI's. They did not want to be liable for any damage.
Yes they know. It's been an extremely coordinated effort to do this as it's in the best interests of my health.
Med-El's newest implant system "Synchrony" is rated for 3.0T MRI scans. MRIs will be common for CI users in the not-to-distant future.
http://www.medel.com/blog/synchrony-cochlear-implant-system-faq-question-and-answer/
In case anyone is interested, I had the MRI today without much drama.
This was done at Mayo Clinic, one of the members of the CI surgical team was there to assist in the procedure, she actually was the one who told me I was a candidate for a CI 2 years ago, so that was a nice surprise to see a familiar face.
The MRI supervisor was there, he lead the procedure making sure everything was prepped and administered according to the limits of the Med-El implant. I quizzed him and asked a bunch of questions to make sure we were all on the same page of how the procedure was to be performed. They were very accommodating to my "testing" and were more than happy to ensure I felt perfectly safe. His assistants did the same.
As far as the procedure, they wrapped my head super-tight. The goal is to try and prevent the magnet from flipping, so applying pressure on the implant is another safeguard to prevent it from flipping. They did say that if it happened, that the magnet on the external coil would have to be flipped as well so it would stick to your head again rather than repel. This was the most uncomfortable part, it was really really tight at after 45 min in the machine I was ready to get out. Thankfully the timing worked out so right as I was at my most uncomfortable point, we were complete.
I will also note, that they did numb the area around my CI. I don't think this is a procedure from Med-El, but in their experience when wrapping this tight bandage around the CI, that can be extremely uncomfortable so they numb it to minimize the discomfort around the CI. Unfortunately they don't to that all over, my forehead was really bothering me by the end!
This was performed on a 1.5T machine, and they put me in backwards to help align my head into a zone in the magnetic field that had less impact. If you understand magnetic fields you'll understand that they loop around, leaving gaps where it's not as strong as in other places. They made sure to explain the reasoning, again to make sure I understood the risks were being mitigated as much as possible. They also flashed lights to let me know when to hold my breath and when to breathe again since, ya know you can't hear them say that!
Overall, I was in there 45 mins or so, never once felt anything around the CI area. Afterward the MRI team said the images were very good, the procedure went extremely well.
I'll get results tomorrow, the reason for the MRI is to examine my liver. Last year I was diagnosed with an incurable liver disease, and over time my liver will fail and I will require a transplant. The MRI is the best resolution, and it will provide a better timetable of how the disease is progressing. Ultrasounds/Biopsy's and CTs are a good "spot" check but an MRI is better for the detail of what the disease is actually doing to the liver. Hopefully I'll get news that disease is progressing slowly and I won't need a transplant for 20 years versus 5 years.
I'll probably have MRIs every 3-5 years, and ultrasounds/CTs in-between.
This was done at Mayo Clinic, one of the members of the CI surgical team was there to assist in the procedure, she actually was the one who told me I was a candidate for a CI 2 years ago, so that was a nice surprise to see a familiar face.
The MRI supervisor was there, he lead the procedure making sure everything was prepped and administered according to the limits of the Med-El implant. I quizzed him and asked a bunch of questions to make sure we were all on the same page of how the procedure was to be performed. They were very accommodating to my "testing" and were more than happy to ensure I felt perfectly safe. His assistants did the same.
As far as the procedure, they wrapped my head super-tight. The goal is to try and prevent the magnet from flipping, so applying pressure on the implant is another safeguard to prevent it from flipping. They did say that if it happened, that the magnet on the external coil would have to be flipped as well so it would stick to your head again rather than repel. This was the most uncomfortable part, it was really really tight at after 45 min in the machine I was ready to get out. Thankfully the timing worked out so right as I was at my most uncomfortable point, we were complete.
I will also note, that they did numb the area around my CI. I don't think this is a procedure from Med-El, but in their experience when wrapping this tight bandage around the CI, that can be extremely uncomfortable so they numb it to minimize the discomfort around the CI. Unfortunately they don't to that all over, my forehead was really bothering me by the end!
This was performed on a 1.5T machine, and they put me in backwards to help align my head into a zone in the magnetic field that had less impact. If you understand magnetic fields you'll understand that they loop around, leaving gaps where it's not as strong as in other places. They made sure to explain the reasoning, again to make sure I understood the risks were being mitigated as much as possible. They also flashed lights to let me know when to hold my breath and when to breathe again since, ya know you can't hear them say that!
Overall, I was in there 45 mins or so, never once felt anything around the CI area. Afterward the MRI team said the images were very good, the procedure went extremely well.
I'll get results tomorrow, the reason for the MRI is to examine my liver. Last year I was diagnosed with an incurable liver disease, and over time my liver will fail and I will require a transplant. The MRI is the best resolution, and it will provide a better timetable of how the disease is progressing. Ultrasounds/Biopsy's and CTs are a good "spot" check but an MRI is better for the detail of what the disease is actually doing to the liver. Hopefully I'll get news that disease is progressing slowly and I won't need a transplant for 20 years versus 5 years.
I'll probably have MRIs every 3-5 years, and ultrasounds/CTs in-between.