Anaesthesia
In addition to other available options, which can be used for patients with claustrophobia before an MRI examination, an anaesthetic can also be used. This is usually a short anaesthesia, which only lasts for the duration of the examination. This short anaesthesia is often performed with Propofol.
More often than in patients with claustrophobia, such anesthesia is used during a colonoscopy, for example. However, since an anesthetic can have not inconsiderable side effects, it is used only in very rare cases. In addition to patients with claustrophobia, short anaesthesia is also frequently used in children, if a motionless performance of the examination without anaesthesia does not seem possible.
As a rule, such short anaesthesias are performed with drugs that are administered intravenously. Before the anaesthesia, the treating patient must be fasting, i.e. not having eaten or drunk anything for several hours. A few moments after the administration of the drugs, the anesthetic takes effect and the patient is artificially ventilated for the duration of the examination.
In most cases, the examination only takes 15-30 minutes, which is why the time under anesthesia is usually very short. After the examination, the patient is usually taken to a so-called recovery room and is cared for by an anesthesiologist until independent breathing is possible again. However, the patient should not participate in road traffic or operate heavy equipment during the day.
Anaesthesia is often the last resort for patients with claustrophobia to have the planned MRI examination performed. Most hospitals and some radiological practices offer the possibility of short anaesthesia for this group of patients. However, due to the possible side effects, all other possibilities should be discussed beforehand. This can best be done in a conversation with the treating physician on site.
Open MRT
Open MRI is a term for certain new MRI devices that do not require the use of narrow tubes for examination. Nevertheless, the patient to be examined must lie between two relatively close opposing plates in order for the MRI images to be produced. For most patients who suffer from claustrophobia and therefore avoid an MRI examination, the new devices nevertheless help enormously.
Especially because these devices make it possible to have an accompanying person during the examination not only in the same room, but even in sight, patients with claustrophobia and especially children who are afraid of the examination are greatly helped.In addition to being used for people suffering from claustrophobia, MRI devices of this type can also be used to perform certain procedures during the examination. The advantage is that the effect in the body can be made visible directly when the intervention is performed. The image quality of these open MRIs has improved in recent years and is now close but not yet equal to that of MRIs with the usual tunnel design.
