Healthcare professionals, with the help of a knee MRI, try to diagnose or evaluate any pain, weakness, bleeding, or swelling in and around the joint. A Knee MRI also gives clarity to doctors on whether or not surgery is...
Introduction
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a breakthrough imaging diagnostic modality that has upended predictive as well as preventive healthcare. It is based on the principles of magnetic fields and radio waves to derive crystal clear images of the internal organs of the human body, helping physicians to devise and execute appropriate treatment interventions.
Similarly, MRI of the knee is done by using a powerful magnetic field, and radio waves taking the help of a computer to generate detailed images of relevant structures within the knee joint.
Healthcare professionals, with the help of a knee MRI, try to diagnose or evaluate any pain, weakness, bleeding, or swelling in and around the joint. A Knee MRI also gives clarity to doctors on whether or not surgery is necessary for a patient. It is an imaging technique that does not require ionizing radiation.
Knee MRI: Understanding a few details
Compared to an X-ray, a knee MRI is much more comprehensive that captures detailed pictures of your knee revealing precise details of your bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles, and at times even some blood vessels, which helps the physician to analyze a lot of problems related to the knee. The MRI of the knee can reveal and provide a range of problems, which include:
- Damaged cartilage
- Torn tendons or ligaments
- Bone fractures
- Osteoarthritis
- Infections
- Tumors
A doctor can also get some more details to decide if you need knee surgery, apart from monitoring the progress of healing after the intervention process. It can immensely help doctors with images characterized by precision and clarity, making it a far superior diagnostic tool to most other techniques.
The process of an MRI of the knee
Usually, an MRI machine looks like a huge and hollow cylindrical tube. The patient will be asked to change into loose clothing, generally provided by the facility. The MRI staff, comprising of technicians and doctors make the patient lie down on the exam table which slides inside the MRI machine. In the case of a knee MRI, the individual’s knee will go inside first and only the lower part of the body will be inside the machine. The expected time for the process to get over is between 15 to 45 minutes. Sometimes, it may take a little longer due to some technicalities or if the radiologist feels the need for some additional screenings.
While inside the MRI machine, it takes detailed images of the knee helping healthcare providers to take concrete decisions on the subsequent intervention procedure. Sometimes, a need to administer a contrast agent also may arise for some patients. It helps to get more clarity of the knee images. In this case, a special dye will be injected into the arm of the patient. The patient may feel a cool sensation once the contrast media is injected, but nothing to worry about this.
The patient will remain alone inside the MRI room, but there is constant communication with the radiologist, the doctor, or the technical staff throughout the process via intercom. Everything will be monitored and captured through a computer by the MRI technician from an adjacent room.
There are a lot of sounds involved in the process as the MRI machines belt a lot of noise. The patient will hear thumping, knocking, and sounds like humming from the MRI machine, which is just normal. So, the patient is provided with earplugs to cut this noise. If they don’t provide them, the patient can voluntarily ask for them to make the process seamless.
Once the scanning process is over, the MRI technician will send the captured images to the radiologist who will interpret them and send a report to the doctor examining the patient. After a knee MRI, the patient can drive back normally and carry on with the day as he or she normally would.
Some other precautions or prerequisites for knee MRI
One of the preconditions before getting a knee MRI is removing all metal in the body. The patient must not wear any metal objects during the MRI scan as it may interfere with the scanning process. Metallic objects react and interfere with the magnetic field within the MRI machine. So, one should remove all such objects from the body before the scan. These items could be jewelry, zippers, hairpins, watches, body piercings, pocket knives, hearing aids, eyeglasses, etc.
It is very important to talk to your doctor if you have any metal inside your body like shrapnel, a medical device, or anything else. The doctor will decide after this, whether you can still undergo the MRI or not. One can still get the knee MRI done despite this, but it is at the discretion of the physician who has the best knowledge to decide under the circumstance.
There are some metal implants, and having those can bar an individual from getting an MRI. The doctors will not permit an MRI if a person has certain metal implants like—a cochlear implant, almost all cardiac defibrillators, and pacemakers. Certain metal clips, for example, those used in the treatment of brain aneurysms also disqualify a person from getting the scan.
Limitations and drawbacks of a knee MRI
Although a knee MRI is considered safe and a very easy process, there may be a few limitations for some patients:
Claustrophobia: Some people may have reservations about confined and small spaces which may come in the way of getting an MRI. Talk to your doctor beforehand if you have claustrophobia. The physician may provide some medication to assuage the anxiety before the scan. However, this medicine will be given by your doctor and not the MRI technologist. So, get this addressed with your doctor before you go for the scan.
Pregnancy: Although MRIs can be done during pregnancy, talk to your doctor before the test. It is paramount because it is not advisable during the first trimester. Moreover, pregnant women should get injected with a contrast dye for an MRI, unless it is too important and is done with the advice of the doctor.
Allergic reaction: Getting a contrast dye may trigger allergic reactions in some patients. The medical team helps reduce the signs of this, but one should discuss it with the doctor before the scan. If you get any itching, a rash on the skin, or trouble breathing, talk to the technologist about this. They will act accordingly depending on individual cases.
Conclusion
So, a knee MRI is usually a safe and easy process to help doctors make informed decisions about the following treatment procedure. Talk to the healthcare facility about the knee MRI price to get a clear picture of the actual amount of the test. Being a sophisticated diagnostic technique it is a costly process and some patients may have a reservation regarding it. Remember, it depends on a lot of factors such as the particular facility, the location, and the need for extra screening images. The use of contrast agents may also drive the cost higher. However higher a knee MRI price may be, if it is absolutely necessary, one has to get it done for a timely and better treatment of the knee.
