Can I have an MRI of my head if the piercing does not come out? | MRI and piercings – Is that possible?

Can I have an MRI of my head if the piercing does not come out?

MRI of the head with magnetic metal piercings is not possible for safety reasons. Due to the effect of the magnetic field there is the danger that the piercing is attracted and moved and thus damages surrounding structures. There is also the danger of a burn as a result of the heating of the metal.

If the piercing consists exclusively of a material, which is not magnetic, an examination can take place. Depending on the material (especially with metals) it can come to disturbances of the image quality and to overlapping of relevant structures. This has to be considered in the analysis.

Do piercings have to be masked in the MRT?

The masking of a piercing in the MRT has no use. With magnetic metal piercings the effect of the magnetic field on the piercing cannot be cancelled. On the other hand with non-magnetic piercings there is no danger for the piercing. Also the masking of a piercing has no influence on the image quality. Only to avoid possible injuries by movements in the area of the piercing during the stay in the tube masking of the piercing can be considered.

MRT and piercing in the genital area – is that possible?

With a piercing in the genital area you have to proceed exactly like with other piercings. Whether the piercing can be worn during the examination depends on the material and the examination. If it is a magnetic metal piercing, it has to be taken off before the imaging.

But if the piercing is made of non-magnetic materials, it can still be worn during the examination. However, if it lies in the area of the examined area (e.g.B. an MRI examination of the lumbar spine with an intimate piercing), the image quality may be reduced with coverage of relevant structures.

What effect does a piercing have on the image quality?

The effects of a piercing on the image quality depend on its material.

• Magnetic materials: Magnetic materials lead to a local disturbance of the magnetic field. As a consequence, considerable artifacts can occur.

  Locally missing image information (‘erasures’), distortions in the image and spatial mis-coding (structure is displayed in the wrong place) are possible.

• Non-magnetic materials: These artifacts usually do not occur with piercings made of non-magnetic materials. There is only the danger that through the piercing relevant structures in the imaging are covered up and thus misinterpreted by the physician. For this reason also the removal of these non-magnetic piercings before an examination is recommended if possible. By choosing a suitable position these overlappings in the image can be minimized.