I see you’re keen on the writing foray too…you should blog on your work. Lots of ppl would appreciate an insider’s view esp of the medical line. Looking fwd to ur blog!

MRI scans are one of the most effective means of examining the brain (and rest of the body) without surgery. They provide both anatomic and physiologic information using strong magnetic fields and radiowaves. No x-rays or other forms of ionising radiation are used. The biolobigical effects of the magnetic field and the RF are generally considered to be the safest of all the imaging scans available.

Brain scans take up to 30 minutes. For this reason, an MRI scan on an infant or toddler would most likely involve a general anaesthetic, they need to remain quite still. Depending on the strength of the scanner used, it may be very noisy, so hearing protection in the form of ear plugs or muffs would be used. A series of scans in different planes (angles) and with different criteria are taken. The result is several sets of images, each displaying different characteristics. Sometimes, an injection of a contrast medium (gadolinium) may also be given into a vein to highlight areas of increased or decreased blood flow. The combination of all the images, all the data, provides a large volume of information that assists in the assessment of developmental anatomy, pathology and physiology.

When the scan is complete, your child would be taken to a recovery area, where he would be brought out of the anaesthetic and monitored to ensure he’s OK. In most cases, the child is not required to remain in hospital overnight, although you would need to check on the particular hospital’s protocol.

During the procedure, you would likely be asked to wait in a separate area. The reasons are numerous, but basically the scan area is a tightly controlled environment, for the safety of both patients and staff. The magnet commands respect. There will be a number of people involved in your child’s scan – it can be busy and crowded. There’s also the privacy of other patients to consider. Their private details will no doubt be somewhere in the vicinity and often several cases are at being managed at once, as they are at different stages in the examination process. Very often, two staff handle different cases at the same time, to keep the workflow going.

The staff are all highly trained and there for each patients’ safety and best treatment. An MRI would give more information than a CT scan.

Hope this helps.

Zara’s mama – The checks are an overall physical check coz she didn’t want to go the MRI first before deciding if it’s necessary. She’s puzzled by the shivers because he’s OK on all counts, whereas a child with brain disfunction wud show some weaknesses in responses etc. Thanks for caring!