Contents
Magnetic resonance imaging of soft tissues is a broad concept, as it includes the examination of almost all areas of the body where soft structures are needed, and not the bone skeleton.
Word to innovative technologies
No other diagnostic method will be as informative as soft tissue MRI, since outdated analogues are designed to search for deviations of only certain structures. However, the magnetic resonance apparatus is able to search for anomalies immediately in the muscles, ligaments, joints and lymph nodes, which greatly expands its range of activities.
Even more informative diagnostics will be when using contrast enhancement. Due to the intravenous injection of a special coloring preparation, problem areas become visible on the visual pictures, colored differently than the surrounding healthy tissues. This approach allows for a more thorough assessment of small pathological processes.
With the help of detailed visualization, it is possible to establish a picture of the state of not only the alleged lesion, but also the entire examination area. The image will tell you the exact location of the problem area, which will help if you need emergency surgery. But this is not the only thing that the three-dimensional model shows, because it is able to cover the state of the tissues surrounding the focus, which means it can show how seriously the pathological process of any etiology has advanced.
It is especially important to use the technology of studying health with the help of a magnetic field, if you need to deal with a tumor of unknown origin. Not only does the analysis reveal neoplasms of even the smallest size – from 1 millimeter, but it can also help to suggest its features.
When the stage of contrasting is involved, it turns out to approximately recognize the nature of the neoplasm: malignant or benign. If we are talking about the first, then it is possible to obtain information about the degree of spread of metastases. However, it is worth remembering that only pathological and histological examination (PGI) can reliably characterize the changes.
Thanks to such a high information content of MRI, doctors are able to diagnose serious illnesses in the early stages of development, preventing possible complications.
Despite the fact that the technology of attracting the magnetic resonance principle is the same for all devices of its series, some models still have minor differences. Their technical characteristics become the reason for choosing where to do the testing.
The differences between modern models of medical equipment of this type are based on two main points:
- magnet power;
- load ratings.
The first nuance indicates how long the manipulation will last and how clear the final projection will be. The longer the patient is under the scanner, the better the result will be provided that the patient is completely immobile. The reason for the relationship is that innovative machines have a shooting step of only 0,5 mm. This guarantees improved visualization. But the patient will have to pay for the increased quality by lying on the medical couch for ten minutes more. During this time, the detectors will make more slices in order to transfer them to the computer’s memory for the subsequent building of a three-dimensional model. Due to this, the price of a particular examination will fluctuate.
Separately, the parameter of the maximum load capacity of the medical bed is considered. Initially, the couch could only support 120 kilograms of weight. But in the past few years, technologists have developed models in which the upper bar in weight has been raised to a record 200 kilograms. Thanks for this should be open scanners, which do not have inserts on the sides, which expands the free space of the bed.
The essence of the technique
If you read a thematic forum where people ask for help to decipher the conclusion of a radiologist, then there are often appointments with the intention to check soft tissues. Moreover, some patients need to check such tissues on the neck, while others need to examine the soft tissues of the lower extremities.
For a tomograph, this is completely unimportant, since the principle of transferring slices remains identical, whether it is an analysis of the face or another part of the body. Sometimes it is required to examine soft tissues along with the bone structure of the spine of a certain area. This is necessary in order to play it safe in the absence of a transition of the pathological process from one tissue to another.
In general, more than 50% of the human body is precisely those soft tissues, which include:
- subcutaneous fat;
- muscles;
- tendons.
The evaluation of the lymph nodes is from the same category. Everything presented differs in functionality requests, but structurally they are similar. Not even a single high-power X-ray will be able to capture changes in these structures, for example, the hips, since it is focused on examining a more solid structure – bone. The same thing happens with ultrasound, for example, in the lower leg or any other similar area. Ultrasound will only allow you to look into the surface layers, without reaching the deep ones.
If we add to this the ability of MRI to demonstrate the state of the smallest elements, then it is difficult not to recognize the analysis as highly informative. Pathologies can be detected even at the stage of initial development, which will appeal to those people who have suffered for years, for example, cervical discomfort or something else, and standard pathology analyzes did not reveal.
Considering the topic of which is better: MRI or CT, it is worth remembering the radiation load that the second manipulation carries. By preferring magnetic resonance imaging, a person avoids the need to irradiate himself with radioactive rays, even in minimal quantities.
Due to the fact that today the power of the magnet allows you to take high-resolution images, improved by the contrast stage, patients have the opportunity to replace several diagnostic formats at once. The information obtained will identify the following common deviations of the inflammatory spectrum:
- Phlegmons;
- tissue infiltrations;
- abscesses.
But in addition to situations where inflammation or signs of fluid formation become sources of a sharp deterioration in well-being, there are many other options for the development of the scenario. They affect:
- malignant oncological neoplasms;
- tumors, including benign ones;
- muscle contusion;
- stretching;
- tendon injuries.
The last type of pathology can be detected when detailing according to the degree of traumatization.
MRI is often used by traumatologists who need to make an accurate diagnosis of post-traumatic changes. What the result of the survey will show in such a situation usually concerns:
- old hematomas;
- cicatricial atrophy;
- fibrous areas;
- fatty atrophy.
Any part of the body can undergo such changes.
Features of the survey
The classification of MRI provides for the division not only according to the need to attract contrast, or to do without it. Separately, there is a sorting based on the anatomical features of the future study. It is believed that the most common types of soft tissue analysis using magnetic tomography are the soft tissues of the neck. Diagnostics can include both an assessment of a strictly defined area, such as the larynx, and the entire complex located in a given area. We are talking about the lymph nodes, thyroid gland, salivary glands.
However, soft tissue MRI is not limited to popular areas of examination. Sometimes you can’t do without it to establish a complete clinical picture of the abdominal cavity. And sports doctors often send their wards to examine old shoulder injuries. Since the forearms contain tendons that are most susceptible to negative stress, detailed visualization will help to determine the correct course of rehabilitation therapy.
In addition to sports doctors, the following can be sent to the diagnostic room:
- surgeon;
- traumatologist;
- oncologist;
- neurologist;
- endocrinologist.
Even patients of gastroenterology are sometimes forced to use such a service to check the problematic upper esophagus. What can we say about the otolaryngologist, who guards the health of the ENT organs.
In case of emergency hospitalization, a person can be sent for scanning directly from the emergency room, if the victim has not revealed significant contraindications for examination and diagnostics are urgently required. But most visits to the magnetic resonance imaging room are scheduled.
How is the procedure performed
Regardless of which examination area is required, the algorithm for preparing for the magnetic resonance diagnostic method remains identical. If a contrast stage is necessary, the patient must ensure that he is not allergic to the components of the contrast agent. For this, an allergy test should be carried out in advance. If the result is positive, the doctor may prefer an alternative method of examination.
The same applies to women in the first trimester of pregnancy, when the fetus is most sensitive to fluctuations in the magnetic background. But in fact, each doctor decides individually whether it is worth the risk for pregnant women at a later date, or whether a more gentle ultrasound can be dispensed with.
Among other contraindications that are characteristic exclusively of the contrasting stage, there are:
- renal failure;
- liver failure;
- some chronic diseases;
- lactation period.
But it is not for nothing that the listed prohibitions belong to the category of relative contraindications. When the benefit of the testing is higher than the possible negative consequences, the patient will still be sent under a magnetic scanner.
To reduce possible side effects during the breastfeeding period, you need to refuse to feed the baby for the next two days after the procedure, while expressing milk. In 48 hours, the components of the contrast agent will have time to come out naturally, subject to the normal functioning of the liver and kidneys. To speed up the process, you can drink more clean liquid.
Of particular note are the contraindications of the relative series, which are valid for both conventional MRI and contrast. They cover:
- childhood;
- mental illness;
- uncontrolled convulsive syndrome;
- general serious condition;
- claustrophobia.
All of them are connected by one common property – the inability of the subject for a long time to maintain a completely immobile position. And for obtaining a high-precision image, this factor is decisive. On the spot, the doctor can decide on the need for the introduction of sedative medications. With increased risks of accidental movements, even medical sleep or general anesthesia according to the classical scheme is recommended.
The final point of quality preparation is to notify the treating doctor that there are built-in electronic mechanisms in the patient’s body. These can be either hearing aids or pacemakers. Regardless of their location, MRI will not be performed, since there is a high percentage of risk to disable the device due to the influence of a magnetic field.
But the presence of knitting needles, pins and other metal supports is a contraindication, which is considered individually in each individual case.
Before the patient is injected with contrast or simply sent under the scanner, he needs to remove all jewelry and other removable metal parts from himself. For reinsurance, it is better to dress up in simple cotton pajamas with ties, or a disposable bathrobe.
Then the victim is placed on a medical couch, placing a roller under his head for convenience, and fixed with auxiliary straps. The latter are needed to prevent possible accidental movements. During operation, the scanner will sometimes make sounds that you do not need to be afraid of. In some clinics, for comfort, they even give out earplugs or headphones so that harsh sounds are not annoying.
If during the scan some unforeseen situation arose, then you can contact the medical staff via two-way communication. The microphone is built right into the device itself.
The time of the analysis varies depending on the volume of the area under study, the size of the cut step and the presence of the contrast stage. The collected information, together with the image and the encrypted conclusion of the radiologist, is recorded on a digital medium. It is given either to the patient’s hands, or directly sent to the attending physician.
The doctor reinforces the already studied history with the data obtained, the results of other tests, and on the basis of all this makes the final verdict on the diagnosis. The collected information will also serve as the basis for drawing up a treatment program, whether it be surgery or alternative treatment.