Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Open MRI) is an advanced diagnostic imaging procedure that creates detailed images of internal bodily structures and organs in an open machine instead of the tube shaped machine. These are machines that follow the same principle as traditional MRI machines but differ in design. A conventional MRI machine is a large box shaped machine with an open-ended tunnel where the test is performed. A patient is asked to lie on a comfortable padded table that slides inside the tunnel so that those parts of the body that have to be scanned are inside the tube or tunnel. The patients lie in closed area inside the machine. The tests take few minutes and loud, repetitive clanking and thumping noises are heard by the patients during the test as the scanning proceeds. Lot of people experience a claustrophobic sensation and anxiety because of the tunnel shaped machine and hear loud noises when the test is being performed.
Open MRI machines are also called patient friendly machines as they help obese, elderly, claustrophobic and pediatric patients to undergo the test comfortably in the open design machines. Open MRI machines are also suitable for patients with posttraumatic stress syndrome. As these machines have no confining tunnel, they are not claustrophobic. These are quieter and do not make those noisy sounds enabling the patient to lay comfortably on a cushioned table for an extended period of time. Friends or close family members are also allowed to sit with the patients during an open MRI exam. A typical open MRI scam is performed in 30 to 60 seconds depending on the procedure followed by the doctor. Some kinds of scanning that are not possible in closed MRI scanners can be performed in open MRI scanners. Open MRI systems are rapidly becoming a preferred choice and are a welcome alternative to conventional MRI scans.
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