Three Common MRI Repairs And Who To Call When Your Machine Needs To Be Fixed
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, typically does not need as many repairs as other machines in radiology. CT machines and x-rays typically need more frequent repairs by comparison. If your MRI machine does not seem to be functioning properly (which is rare) you can call a technician who specializes in MRI repairs, or call the manufacturer and distributor. Sometimes the sales representative who sold you the machine can provide you with repair information too. The following highlight three common MRI repairs (when they do occur) that you can expect your technician to look for when making repairs.
The Magnets Are Dislodged or Off-Kilter
MRI machines rely heavily on large magnets to capture images of the brain and body. If those magnets are dislodged somehow, or they are even slightly off-kilter, the images you receive of your patients will be grainy at best. The images often end up looking like the patient wore something metallic into the chamber, or that he or she ignored the rules of not wearing make-up and not using hair spray. If your staff have thoroughly questioned and checked the patient for anything metal or products with metallic substances in them and found nothing, it may be the magnets in your machine.
The Radio Frequency Pulses Are Too Weak/Strong/Ill-Timed
When the radio frequency pulses used to bounce waves off of the patient are too weak, you will not see much of anything on your screen, nor will you capture any useful images. When the pulses are too strong, the images have a tendency to blur together, like sonar bouncing off a very large school of fish. The pulses can also be ill-timed, sending out waves at the wrong angles, thereby delivering images that are also at the wrong angles. The technician can check out the RF amplifier and other parts of the machine responsible for the radio frequency pulses, and then tweak it or switch the part out altogether so that you are not down and out one MRI machine.
The Antenna Is Broken
The antenna that sends images to your computer screen could also be the problem or reason for missing images. Most of these machines now send a signal via WiFi so that the antennas are safely tucked inside, but that does not mean your MRI machine is safe from this type of problem. Whether your antenna is inside or outside of your machine, the technician can check it, test it and then replace it.
For more information, contact a company like Medical Systems Technologies, LLC.