Do I have to go all the way down the tube?
There are several possibilities for the examination of the hand. Normally, this examination takes place in a closed MRI (colloquially called a tube). The patient is pushed into the tube with the arm stretched out and fixed in front.
The head and upper body are often still outside the tube. For a few years now, specially developed devices have been available that allow the examination of various joints without the patient having to be pushed into the tube. The patient in a sitting position stretches the affected joint into a magnetic field to be examined.
Do I have to undress?
During an MRI examination of the hand, it is usually not necessary to undress. For safety reasons, however, all metallic objects should be removed if possible. Special attention should be paid to jewelry and watches in the area of the hand being examined.
These can heat up during an examination and affect the image quality. In case of injuries in the area of the hand, a bandage can normally be kept on if it does not contain any metallic structures (e.g. metal splint).
