Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
At Partners Imaging Centers, we offer wide-bore 3T MRI in our Sarasota center and wide-bore 1.5T at our Bradenton Center, both designed to accomodate larger or claustrophobic patients.
MRI is a non-invasive imaging technology that produces three-dimensional, detailed anatomical images by using strong magnets and radio waves to produce an image of organs, tissues, and bones.
MRI does not use harmful radiation and works by temporarily affecting the water molecules in your body to produce a signal. A computer picks up these signals and converts them into clear images that a doctor can use to diagnose various kinds of conditions.
3T MRI is a type of MRI machine that operates with a magnetic strength twice as powerful as the standard 1.5 T machines. “T” stands for Tesla, and represents a unit of measurement for magnetic field strength. 3T MRI provides images with higher detail and clarity compared to 1.5 MRI, which is important for complex body parts such as prostate, brain, spine, joins, and small blood vessels.
A MRI may be ordered by your medical provider in many instances requiring detailed images of soft tissues, organs, or bodily structures. Some examples might include examining organs for tumors or growths, evaluating brain lesions, assessing spinal cord injuries, detecting aneurysms in blood vessels, assessing muscle tears or tendon damage, or monitoring chronic diseases and cancers.
MRI scans are different from X-ray and CT imaging because does not emit ionizing radiation and instead uses a strong magnetic field. This field extends far beyond the machine itself and can pose a risk for any patients with metal implants such as pacemakers.
Although an MRI takes longer to perform than a CT scan, it produces very detailed images and is not generally used in emergency settings, as a CT scan would be.