| Medical technology has steadily advanced recently. It is | | | | People who have never had an MRI scan before are |
| very interesting to note that even a coup of decades | | | | probably curious to know how the procedure works. |
| ago, there were not as many preventative tests | | | | The patient should arrive to the outpatient facility |
| available as there are now. These tests can diagnose | | | | wearing comfortable clothing. The patient will then be |
| a variety of different medical conditions before they | | | | directed to lie down on an examining table. The table |
| have a chance to be at their most dangerous. | | | | will be pushed back into a horizontal tube, which is the |
| Preventative tests are indeed very important, because | | | | scanning machine itself. |
| they can save a person's life. | | | | Something that patients having an MRI scan need to |
| One such test is known as an MRI scan, which is also | | | | keep in mind is that in order to make sure that the |
| known as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan. This is | | | | scan gets the clearest images possible, the patient |
| a different kind of scan than those that use x ray | | | | needs to stay completely still. For this reason, some |
| technology, because it does not use radiation, which | | | | patients might be lightly sedated. The procedure itself |
| makes it safer. The MRI scan is used to diagnose a | | | | takes about an hour to complete, and after that time |
| variety of different problems with the body's organs | | | | the patient is usually able to go back to their regular |
| and tissues. | | | | activities. |