Cervical spine MRI examination
MRI examination of the cervical spine can be used to determine cervical spine lesions, disc diseases, to check for post-operative scars, and to diagnose abnormalities around the bone marrow and vertebrae.
Most often, MRI is performed in cases of disc herniation, trauma, spinal stenosis, processes affecting the spinal cord, and suspected developmental problems.
What kind of preparation is needed?
In all cases, it is recommended that you consult your doctor for details before performing an MRI scan.
Native examination does not require special preparation.
On the other hand, it is important to know that due to the high magnetic field, it is forbidden to bring any metal, device or object containing metal into the examination room!
This also applies to jewellery and piercings in the body.
Are there any side effects?
MRI examination has no side effects, rarely the contrast agent can cause a reaction. In case of pre-existing known allergies, the scan with contrast agent is not performed.
How is a cervical spine MRI scan performed?
During the cervical spine MRI examination, the patient is lying on their back most often but depending on the condition, rarely, the scan can be performed lying on the abdomen or on the side. The examination is noisy, and a strange, knocking machine sound can be heard. Its intensity can be reduced by using earplugs.
When can the examination not be performed?
If there is any magnetically reactive material in the body (e.g. joint prosthesis, nail, screw, metal valve, pacemaker, tourniquet, implant, etc.) because they may move out of place in the strong magnetic field.
Nowadays, after surgeries, patients receive a document as to whether or not their implant is MRI-compatible.
When is the result expected?
The completed scan will be reviewed by the radiologist and the result will be available in our online system after 5 working days.
Medicover’s MRI device is called a closed machine, so the patient may feel confined. However, the good news is that this can be mitigated by the fact that the machine’s diameter is larger than average with its 70 cm. If the patient is prone to claustrophobia, the test may be difficult to be performed.
