Random And Silly Thoughts

Probably because any electrical activity would upset the scan.

 

That's exactly the reason. But it still fascinated me.

It's like the inventors of the MRI scanner were all stood around with beaming smiles on their faces, excitedly telling their first ever customer about its amazing capabilities. Then some non techy says, 'this is fantastic, but how will we communicated with the patient?'. Then all the geeks sort of freeze for a moment and say 'ah, erm, ok, we could run a plastic talking tube between the patient and the operator'.

 

And take your keys out of your pocket.

 

I went for a CT scan a few weeks ago. I'd been asked if I had anything metal in my pockets. I said no, because I'd put the contents of ONE pocket in the tray.

The scan started and then abruptly stopped. The operator asked me to check my trouser pockets. My phone was in there. I apologised, and she said, 'and your other pocket?'. Yes, my car keys and cigarette lighter.

 

When I was a Radio Officer, back in the 1960s one ship had a tube between the radio room and the bridge. There was a whistle plugged in each end and you removed your whistle, blew down the tube and the whistle at the other end blew, letting them know you had a message.
Every night I would take the weather forecast and blow into the tube and every night they would insist I bring the forecast up to the bridge. I knew why. Entertainment. I came from a brightly lit radio room, along the outside on the deck, and into a pitch-black bridge (red, night vision lights only), where I would be told "Bring it here, Sparks". They knew full well I could see nothing and I would promptly walk into the bridge telegraph or something equally solid. That would give them a laugh for that watch.

 

I had an MRI scan with an ankle full of metal?

 

They would have made sure your ankle didn't go inside the circle but. Otherwise you might have suddenly stuck to the machine.

 

So did I and nothing was put over my feet where the screws were.

 

I had an mri scan for my lower back and was wearing a pair of jeans with a metal button, and they said it would be ok.
Maybe it's only ferrous metals that matter.

 

It has to be magnetic. Unlike X-rays, they cannot just shield the area. If there is any ferrous metal there it has to be kept out of the magnetic field, which is really well contained. I worked for a company that made analysis equipment. One piece of kit had a huge electromagnet. If you got too near it when they were running tests you could feel it tugging at your steel-capped boots.