Photo: Anna Shvets

Why are MRI rooms so cold?

If you have ever had an MRI scan, you know that when you enter the room, it is oddly cold. This is because the two powerful magnets that form the core of the MRI machine need to be kept cool in order to function. The magnets are constantly working to maintain a strong and stable magnetic field.

painandthebrain.org - Behind all the Clanking and Buzzing of an MRI

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An MRI image looks complex, sophisticated, and almost science fiction.

When a physician is carefully examining an MRI image, you have to wonder what they are searching for in all of those highly contrasted black and white shapes. They may be examining your shoulder, or your spine, or your brain. Exactly what is the foundation to this image? And how does a physician know when examining the brain if that black circle is a normal structure, or a tumor?

So what does an MRI do?

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In the scientific community, it can also be referred to as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. If you have ever had an MRI scan, you know that when you enter the room, it is oddly cold. This is because the two powerful magnets that form the core of the MRI machine need to be kept cool in order to function. The magnets are constantly working to maintain a strong and stable magnetic field. Maintaining this field requires a lot of energy, so the machine requires -296 degree Celsius (-452 degrees Fahrenheit) liquid helium to keep the magnets in this conductive state. Once the radiologist guides you into the room, you lie down on a long platform that then slides into a large white tube. While in the tube, your only job is to lie perfectly still while the large magnets clank, buzz, and whirl around you. All of that clanking and buzzing serves a purpose. Your body is made up mostly of water molecules, which contain hydrogen and oxygen atoms with a tiny proton in the middle. That proton is sensitive to magnets. While you are lying in an MRI, the protons in your body are aligned, relaxed, and re-aligned. The result of this proton dance is a high-resolution image of the inside of your body. Pretty neat.

MRI’s in medicine

MRI’s completely revolutionized the way doctors and scientists examine the human body. A smart man named Dr. Raymond Vahan Damadian discovered that when examining a patient using magnetic resonance, tumors and normal tissues are distinguishable from each other due to their unique proton dances. Using this technology, Dr. Damadian performed the first full human body scan on a patient and was able to diagnose them with cancer. This was only the beginning of the miraculous healing properties of the MRI. Today, all medical facilities rely on this machine to take a glimpse underneath the skin. MRI scans can be used to diagnose strokes, tumors, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and more. They have also fundamentally changed brain research; brain imaging labs use MRI’s to measure brain structure and function, thus allowing researchers to answer difficult questions such as, “How does the brain develop over time?,” or, “Do the brains of chronic pain patients look different than the brains of healthy people?”. MRI scanners use the foundational components of our bodies – protons – to paint pictures of internal ailments and entire organ structures. It is a prime example of the marvels and wonders of modern-day science.

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Can you wear leggings in an MRI machine?

An MRI scanner uses electromagnetism and radiowaves, so they basically become a powerful magnet. Any type of metal, including the tiny metal threads in sports leggings, could possibly move during the scan causing a burn.

g105.iheart.com - Your Yoga Pants Can Burn You During MRIs - G105

Hospitals are warning against wearing expensive leggings in MRI scanners.

Ladies-and some gents- we love our leggings, but you may want to ditch them next time you get an MRI. Patients are being told to leave their Lululemons at home and switch in to cotton T-shirts or hospital gowns before they head in for an MRI since a new study shows the fibers inside the leggings can actually burn you. Hospitals across the country including Stony Brook University in New York, the University of California, and Mount Sinai hospitals are posting signs in their offices warning against wearing the leggings. Tiny meal threads are found woven within the most popular leggings-think Lululemon or Athleta- and while they may be good at wicking sweat, they’re not so good at preventing burns during an MRI scan. One 11-year-old girl learned the hard way. She was sedated for her MRI scan for scoliosis and when she woke up, she was left with second degree burns. What she didn't know, considering there were no labels, was that her undershirt contained the metallic fibers. So what exactly happens? An MRI scanner uses electromagnetism and radiowaves, so they basically become a powerful magnet. Any type of metal, including the tiny metal threads in sports leggings, could possibly move during the scan causing a burn. Researchers specifically warn against Lululemon leggings made with “Silverescent” technology that prevents odors, Gap’s Athleta brand leggings and Columbia Sportswear Omni-Heat line. If you’re unsure, since most metallic fibers are unnoticeable, look for labels on your clothes that say “anti-microbial” or “anti-bacterial” as those usually contain the “silver technology.” Your best bet is to just wear cotton or a hospital gown.

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