Firstly, its advantages include being safe and painless. Unlike X-ray, MRI scanners do not use ionizing radiation; instead they use magnetic fields and radio waves which are harmless and can be absorbed by the body without causing mutations because radio waves have a low frequency and thus a low energy that doesn’t cause harm. Secondly, the pictures that are created by the MRI are precise which allow definite analysis of the image by a medical professional; especially for organs such as brain, eyes and heart. Also, the MRI scans are extremely useful for creating images of soft tissue structures, such as ligaments and cartilage. This is because the MRI machine works by detecting protons and every bodily structure has a different alignment of protons. In contrast to this there are also many disadvantages to the MRI machine; however, these disadvantages are not life-threatening and are very subjective for the patient. The first disadvantage is the really strong magnetic fields; this cause’s metal to be prohibited near the scanner. Thus patients with metal inside their body (ex. metal bones and heart pacemakers) cannot undergo an MRI. Also, the MRI machine is an enclosed machine so it is extremely difficult for a patient with claustrophobia to undergo the scan, and also the patient is unable to move so this can trigger a panic attack for the claustrophobic patient very easily. Thirdly, the machine creates loud banging and hammering noises which create a sense of discomfort for the patient. In order to achieve a precise MRI scan, the patient must not move at all and remain completely still. This causes extreme discomfort whereas the procedure takes about 50-90 minutes. Lastly, If the scan turns out blurry then the process will have to be repeated which is very unappealing to the
Firstly, its advantages include being safe and painless. Unlike X-ray, MRI scanners do not use ionizing radiation; instead they use magnetic fields and radio waves which are harmless and can be absorbed by the body without causing mutations because radio waves have a low frequency and thus a low energy that doesn’t cause harm. Secondly, the pictures that are created by the MRI are precise which allow definite analysis of the image by a medical professional; especially for organs such as brain, eyes and heart. Also, the MRI scans are extremely useful for creating images of soft tissue structures, such as ligaments and cartilage. This is because the MRI machine works by detecting protons and every bodily structure has a different alignment of protons. In contrast to this there are also many disadvantages to the MRI machine; however, these disadvantages are not life-threatening and are very subjective for the patient. The first disadvantage is the really strong magnetic fields; this cause’s metal to be prohibited near the scanner. Thus patients with metal inside their body (ex. metal bones and heart pacemakers) cannot undergo an MRI. Also, the MRI machine is an enclosed machine so it is extremely difficult for a patient with claustrophobia to undergo the scan, and also the patient is unable to move so this can trigger a panic attack for the claustrophobic patient very easily. Thirdly, the machine creates loud banging and hammering noises which create a sense of discomfort for the patient. In order to achieve a precise MRI scan, the patient must not move at all and remain completely still. This causes extreme discomfort whereas the procedure takes about 50-90 minutes. Lastly, If the scan turns out blurry then the process will have to be repeated which is very unappealing to the