Exams and Preps > MRI

Advanced Medical Imaging is proud to offer both high field open and closed MRI for our patients.

MRI is safe, painless and non-invasive. The test usually takes between 20-60 minutes. To get the best possible picture, it is important to relax and remain still during the test. MRI complements x-ray and/or CT exams, and can sometimes eliminate the need for biopsy or exploratory surgery, because it can provide such detailed information about your body.

Advanced Medical Imaging offers you a choice in MRI. Our General Electric (GE) high-field (1.5 Tesla) MRI is located immediately behind Harrison Hospital in Bremerton. This magnet requires that the patient lie comfortably inside a "tube." Inside the tube has soft lighting, the ability to talk to the MRI technologist at any time, and the option of wearing headphones for listening to your choice of music on CD. This MRI center has received accreditation by the American College of Radiology.

AMI is pleased to have recently installed a new High Field MRI in their Silverdale location.  The latest-generation MRI scanner offers some of the clearest images available.  According to Michael Cook, MD, Medical Director for Advanced Medical Imaging, "This piece of medical imaging equipment is of tremendous diagnostic benefit to the community, and we are pleased to be able to offer this important improvement in healthcare to our patients.  The 1.5 tesla magnet lets physicians see clearer internal images like never before, so they can make the most informed decisions about patient care." This MRI machine is great for:

• general abdominal imaging
• high-resolution peripheral angiography
• spine imaging
• high resolution static and dynamic joint studies
• free breathing coronary artery imaging
• neurological scans
• breast scans
• cardiac scans

Patient comfort is a priority and the scanning times last only 15 to 40 minutes for most studies.  The compact design make it less intimidating in appearance, the color scheme reduces the feeling of claustrophobia and most scans can be conducted with the head entirely outside the opening of the machine.

AMI in South Kitsap offers high field open MRI.  This state-of-the-art technology is great for claustrophobic, portly, anxious, or young patients who are apprehensive to be imaged inside a 'tube'.  This 270-degree open, unobstructed view MRI is a break-through in technology as it offers outstanding image quality - better or equal to high field MR - yet is very patient friendly.  It offers excellent imaging for every region of the body, with fast scan times. It has also received accreditation by the American College of Radiology.

The imaging table can hold up to 500 pounds and can lower to 20 inches, making it easy to accommodate many types of patients.  It offers motion compensation technology.  There are a variety of specialized coils used for advanced detailed studies of the brain, spine, shoulders, legs, wrist, breast, neurovascular, and abdomen.

Our new High Field Open MRI in South Kitsap is very patient friendly.

Because of the magnetic field, you will be asked to leave the following items in a safe place outside the scan room: coins, jewelry, watches, glasses, credit cards, keys, hairpins, removable dental work and any other metal objects. People with metal devices in their body may not be able to have this test.

Patients may log onto www.IMRSER.org to view a video entitled "What to Expect During your MRI Exam" for more helpful information.

Breast MRI

The American Cancer Society announced new guidelines for the 1.4 million U.S. women who are at high risk for breast cancer.  They advise these women receive annual MRIs as well as mammograms.  This new study, led by Dr. Constance Lehman at the University of Washington Medical Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, also suggests that all women newly diagnosed with breast cancer receive an MRI.  The scans revealed cancers in the opposite breast that were missed by mammograms in 3 percent of these cancer survivors.

These are the first guidelines to recommend a screening MRI for women who show no signs of cancer.  At the same time these guidelines were announced, the New England Journal of Medicine released a national study that suggested women who have cancer diagnosed in one breast receive an MRI in the other.

The University of Washington study looked at nearly 1,000 women recently diagnosed with cancer in one breast but had no detected cancer in the second breast.  MRIs of the second breast found possible tumors in 121 of the women.  Biopsies confirmed cancer in 30 of them.  The study does not suggest that MRIs should replace mammograms.

Who should receive an MRI?

As many as 1 in 50 U.S. women fall into these categories:

• Symptom-less women age 30 and older who have a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes
• Those who were treated for Hodgkin's Disease
• Those with a strong family history of the disease, such as women with two or more close relatives who had breast or ovarian cancer or who have a close relative who developed breast cancer before age 50
• Those diagnosed with cancer in one breast.

What is an MRI of the breast?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI is a non-invasive way of viewing body structures without x-rays.  MRI uses magnetic field and radio waves together with a computer to create cross-sectional, three-dimensional pictures.   Detailed MR images allow physicians to better evaluate parts of the body for conditions that may not be visible with other imaging methods.  MRI is not a replacement for mammography but rather a supplemental tool for detecting and staging breast cancer or breast abnormalities.

Why is an MRI necessary?

MRI makes detailed images with a magnet and radio waves - without radiation.  MRIs show increased or abnormal blood flow in the breast, a sign of early cancers not visible on a mammogram.  They are also better for women with dense, non-fatty breasts.

Do I still need a mammogram?

Mammograms are a good diagnostic tool and can show abnormalities that an MRI may not detect, such as calcium deposits, which are usually benign, but can occur in patterns that indicate breast cancer.

Nothing to eat or drink by mouth 4 hours prior to exam for MRA Chest and / or Abdomen. Nothing to eat or drink by mouth 6 hours prior to exam for MRI Abdomen, female pelvic, and MRCP. If you must take medication, call (360) 377-7226 for instructions.  For breast MRI, no preparation is necessary.