At Medicover Diagnostic Center, we use equipment that works with a closed but extremely short tube. It is 10 centimetres wider than average and its diameter is 70 cm, thus helping reduce the feeling of confinement.

In Hungary, MRI machines with a strength of 0.5-1.5 Tesla are most often used, which is 150 times stronger than an average fridge magnet. The strength of the magnet affects the quality of the images, the stronger it is, the sharper the image of the organs and tissues examined is.

The 1.5 Tesla Siemens Magnetom Aera device, which has been operating in our diagnostic center since 2016, is excellent for making detailed, high-resolution images and for making an accurate diagnosis.

MRI is a painless and side-effect-free examination, which has no harmful effects on the human body, but still gives a precise picture of the examined area and organ, thus facilitating the accurate diagnosis.

Due to its high resolution, it is excellent for exploring central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, pituitary MRI) problems, diagnosing stroke, heart and vascular problems, thrombosis, examining spinal (neck, back, lumbar) and joint (shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle), chest, abdominal soft tissues (muscles, blood vessels, adipose tissue, connective tissue) and abdomen and pelvis, sacrum (hip and sacrum), and breast and cervical soft tissues (thyroid, parathyroid, lymph nodes, salivary glands, blood vessels, muscles) problems and to diagnose ocular lesions (orbit MRI). Our diagnostic center also offers full body MRI examination. MRI scan with contrast agent is performed only with a written medical recommendation.

The examination does not require special preparation. However, if an MRI scan with contrast agent is needed, it is important that you arrive with an empty stomach, therefore do not eat for 6 hours before the appointment.

Examination with contrast agent requires a laboratory test for kidney function not older than 1 month, which also includes testing for keratin and urea levels, which show kidney function. If you are unable to present a laboratory result, it is possible, for an additional fee, to perform a rapid test before the scan, which is a blood sample taken from a fingertip.

Prior to the examination, at the time of booking, our colleague will interview you in detail about any metal that may be present in your body, and other circumstances, as well as provide accurate information about the documents required for the examination (e.g. medical recommendation).

A contrast agent is a paramagnetic (a substance visible to the machine) drug that is injected directly into a vein by our operator. Our colleagues use a certain amount of contrast agent per kilogram of body weight, thus avoiding unnecessary strain on the body.

The contrast agent makes it easier to see the condition of the soft tissues and blood vessels, and we can get a more accurate picture of the location, size and type of a lesion. For some examinations, the non-contrast – native – test is sufficient, while other scans can only be performed with contrast. This is always determined by your treating physician or radiologist.

The administration of the contrast agent is conditional on having a good kidney function value, which can be confirmed by a recent laboratory finding, but it is also possible to perform a creatinine test or eGFR measurement with the help of an MR/CT operator, which happens with a blood sample taken from a fingertip.

• Completely painless
• It does not involve radiation exposure as it is based on magnetic resonance imaging
• No long-term harmful effects to the body
• Can also be used as a screening examination (e.g. whole body MRI)
• It allows you to accurately map the wanted area without invasive intervention

• As a precautionary measure, the examination is not performed during the first trimester of pregnancy (although, according to current scientific opinion, magnetic resonance imaging does not endanger the foetus).
• Magnetic resonance has no harmful effect on human tissues
• The contrast agent can cause a minor allergic reaction, which is extremely rare and easy to treat. To mitigate this type of risk, all of our patients complete a questionnaire in advance that assesses their overall health. Based on this, the operator determines whether the test can be performed.

Apart from an accidental allergic reaction to the contrast agent, the examination has no side effects. An allergic reaction may occur within 20 minutes of the administration of the contrast agent, therefore in case of malaise, report it immediately to the operator performing the test. Our staff is trained and equipped to deal with these types of side effects.

• In the first trimester of pregnancy
• In many cases, the test can also be performed if the patient has implanted metal (e.g. a non-magnetizable dental implant).
• Exceptions to this are non-MR compatible metal, implant, prosthesis (pacemaker), orthopaedic metal (screw, plate, nail, wire), implanted joint prosthesis, prosthetic limb, implanted defibrillator, neurostimulator, implanted drug dispenser, vascular implants (e.g. clips, vascular occlusion devices), ear implants, metal foreign body (e.g. bullet, splinter, other electronic implants). Therefore, in case of an implant, implanted metal, prosthesis, please bring a written certificate of its compatibility with MRI examination (certified by the implanting specialist, institution) for the examination itself, which clearly states: the suitability to enter the MRI examination room, to perform the MRI examination and marking the maximum magnetic field strength (1.5 Tesla, 3 Tesla) for the device or implant. Inform the person performing the examination about the implant beforehand.
• Above about 200 kg body weight (depending on abdominal circumference)
• In case of a scan with contrast agent, if the eGFR of the kidney function is below 45 ml/min, the test is not performed

The completed scan will be reviewed by the radiologist and the result will be available in our online system after 5 working days.