Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, enables doctors to examine inside of a patient’s body in order to possibly find a certain condition and determine the best treatment. As with most medical technology, MRIs have advanced quite a bit lately and continuously help doctors as an important diagnostic imaging tool.
Recent MRI advancements come in the form of different bore sizes in the MRI machines, which is the hole area where the patient rests. When it comes to your health and being able to reach a diagnosis, it is important to understand what the differences are and why it matters. So, here’s a guide to understanding why the bore size matters, and what the different types of MRIs are.
Why Bore Size Matters:
There are two main reasons why the bore size matters when getting an MRI, which can ultimately help you figure out which type of MRI will best suit your needs.
1. Clarity –
The first reasons why bore size matters is because it directly affects the purpose of MRIs, which is getting a detailed image of the patient’s body. Without sufficient clarity, the doctor might not be able to determine what’s going on. Since an MRI produces an image use magnetic technology, having a smaller bore allows more magnetic strength, which in turn increases the clarity of the image.
2. Comfort –
While comfort may not seem like it would be a critical aspect of undergoing a testing procedure, anyone who has gotten an MRI understands that it is. MRIs can range between 20 and 80 minutes, and the patient needs to lay as still as possible during the procedure to produce the best quality and clarity for the image. Laying still for an hour obviously requires a little comfort, and patients have reported that the smaller bore sizes can be very uncomfortable.