Important Announcement

There will be no in-person class on November 17th, 2010.

I will provide the lecture notes and other information on this web site.

The next class session will be on December 1st.

More information will follow.

MR Safety Quiz Questions

Deadline: November 24th. (Any time before Thanksgiving)

To answer the following questions refer to the 6 links listed on the web log as “Useful Online Resources”

Type your answers in complete, grammatically correct sentences. 

If you quote directly from a particular resource cite your source by placing the Link number and page number in parentheses after the quote. For example, this is how you should signify that you are using the exact words from an article: “Patients shall be pre-screened for contraindications and informed about MRI safety considerations”(Link 2, pg.9).

Question 1

In order to ensure safety to patients and employees using an MRI facility, the MR suite is setup according to specific areas or zones. Describe each of the four zones, giving an example of an area in the MR unit that would fall in each zone. (Write one paragraph minimum for each zone. Information can be found in Link 1 and Link 2)

Question 2

In the ACR guidelines (Link 1) Personnel  Definitions are provided. What are these definitions and how are they relevant to MR safety?

Question 3

Based on the ACR document (Link 1) regarding  “Patients in Whom There Are or May Be Intracranial Aneurysm Clips”, what are the guidelines/recommendations to ensure the safety of such patients in the MR environment? (Your answer should be at least 15 long)

Question 4

Based on the ACR document (Link 1) regarding  “Patients in Whom There Are or May Be Cardiac Pacemakers or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators”, what are the guidelines/recommendations to ensure the safety of such patients in the MR environment? (Your answer should be at least 15 long)

Question 5

Regarding the safe use of MR contrast agents, what do the terms NSF and GFR mean, and what’s their relevance to the use of contrast agents in MRI?  (4 sentences minimum)

Question 6

What are the ACR recommendations regarding the screening of pediatric patients? (3 paragraphs minimum).

Question 7

What are the ACR recommendations regarding MRI procedures on patients who are or may be pregnant?  (3 paragraphs minimum).

Question 8

Fill in the missing information in the following statement:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeling criteria (developed by ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials] International) for portable objects taken into Zone IV.  Square green label is ______________for wholly nonmetallic objects, triangular yellow label is for objects with ______________rating, and round red label is for objects that are _________________.

Which type of materials are classified as “MR conditional? (Refer to Link 3, page 36)

 Question 9

Discuss the bio-effects and potential hazards of static magnetic fields, gradient fields and radiofrequencies used in MRI (3 paragraphs minimum)

Question 10

What is SAR, on what basis is it calculated, and what are the FDA approved  limits for the whole body and specific anatomic regions?

MRI Safety (Lecture 11-10-2010)

There are potential risks in the MR environment... (American College of Radiology (ACR) Guidance Document for Safe MR Practices) 

The goal of the lecture is to highlight the potential risks to patients, family members, visitors, and staff; and explore safe practice guidelines and recommendations.

The fundamental principles involved in MR site planning are discussed, and additional sources of information on MRI safety are listed.

Useful Online Resources

1. ACR Guidance Document for Safe MR Practices: 2007--This document covers topics such as MR Safety Policies and Procedures, Static Magnetic Field Issues, Patient and non-MR personnel screening, pregnancy-related issues, pediatric MR safety concerns, contrast agent safety, etc...

2. MRI Safety: 2009--This document covers zoning, screening, and emergency procedures very well with great illustrations and graphics.

3. MRI Safety Issues--This document covers the biologic effects of the static magnetic field, time varying magnetic fields (the gradients), and RF energy. It lists various reported causes of death related to MR, and provides illustrations of the new FDA MR safety terminology.

4. PowerPoint Presentation on safety concerns, specifically geared towards non-MR health care providers. (PowerPoint Below).


5. MR Safety July-2007

6. Video on MR Safety

Scanning Parameters and Techniques (Lecture 10-20 & 11-03-2010)

Follow the link to your right for the scanning parameters handout. It is a pdf document that you can print if that is more convenient for you.

Scan parameters and techniques are very important.

Each student shall:

1. identify the eight most important scan parameters, and
2. evaluate how each of the eight parameters influences image quality and scan time.