About the Scan – Chest MR Scan

MRI of the chest performed by SMIL radiologists give detailed pictures of structures within the chest cavity, including the mediastinum, chest wall, pleura, heart and vessels, from almost any angle. A chest MRA also provides movie-like sequential imaging of the cardiovascular system that is important to assess the health and function of the heart, valves and vessels.

During the MRI of your chest, you will be positioned on the moveable examination table. Devices that contain coils capable of sending and receiving radio waves may be placed around or adjacent to the area of the body being studied.

You will be moved into the magnet of the MRI unit and the SMIL technologist will leave the room while the MRI examination is performed.

You may be asked to hold your breath during the scanning. Any motion, whether breathing or body movements, can lead to artifacts on the images. This loss of image quality can resemble the blurring seen on a photograph taken of a moving object.

When the examination is completed, you may be asked to wait until the technologist or radiologist checks the images in case additional images are needed.

MRI exams generally include multiple runs (sequences), some of which may last several minutes. Depending on the type of exam and the equipment used, the entire exam is usually completed in 15 to 45 minutes.

Learn how to prepare for the scan in the chest MR Scan preparations section.

Find out if this procedure is right for you in the benefits and risks of chest MR scan section.

For a downloadable/printable PDF about this exam with preparation instructions click here.