Cervical soft tissue and visceral cranium MRI examination

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

Your doctor may consider a cervical soft tissue MRI scan if suspicion of cephalic-cervical cancer arises. This may be indicated by constantly growing, painless lumps on the neck, difficulty swallowing, pain radiating to the ear when swallowing, persistent urge to cough, hoarseness. MRI examination can determine the extent of tumours and metastases on the soft tissues with high accuracy. In addition, the scan is suitable for examining various inflammations and blood vessels.

In all cases, it is recommended that the treating physician be consulted prior to the MRI examination, although native examination does not require special preparation.

It is important to know that due to the strong magnetic field, it is forbidden to bring any metal, device or object containing metal into the examination room! This applies to jewellery, piercings in the body, and some makeup products may also contain a substance that affects the success of the test.

Prior to an examination with contrast agent, specialist consultation is essential. Kidney function laboratory results showing creatinine and urea values ​​are also required to perform this type of scan.

In case of examination with contrast agent, you should not eat for 6 hours beforehand.

During the cervical soft tissue MRI, most often, the patient is lying on their back, but depending on their condition, it can rarely be performed lying on their abdomen or side.

Following the pre-examination orientation, the operator will escort you into the MRI examination room and then ask you to be seated on the examination bed. The operator adjusts the correct body position, places the coils needed for the scan, and then the examination bed lifts you into the magnetic tube. It is important to remain still during the scan, you can only change your body position on the instructions of the operator. The examination takes an average of 30 minutes, while you can communicate with our colleague continuously through the built-in microphone and speaker. The machine makes a loud, rattling sound that can be reduced with ear protection.

• The examination cannot be performed in the first trimester of pregnancy.
• The examination cannot be performed if you do not have an MRI 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.
• If the subject weighs more than 200 kilograms, but it also depends on the circumference of the abdomen.
• In case of a scan with contrast agent, if the eGFR of the kidney function is below 45 ml/min, the examination is not performed.

The finding in itself is not a diagnosis. In all cases, after a cervical soft tissue MRI examination, please consult a specialist with the result.

The contrast agent used for MRI examinations is gadolinium-based. In rare cases, hypersensitivity might happen, which may occur in the form of an allergic reaction immediately after administration of the contrast agent.

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