What is the MRI procedure for optic atrophy?
The patient is pushed into the MRI machine lying on an examination table. The area of the body to be examined, in this case the head for ophthalmology, is brought into position so that it is level with the device. Then the sectional images of several layers of the body are taken, whereby the distance between the layers should be wider than a few millimeters.
This avoids overlooking minor changes in the tissue that might otherwise be located exactly between two images. The device emits loud noises (clicking and tapping) during the examination, which are caused by the operation of the magnetic coils. For anxious patients this can be uncomfortable in addition to the confined space.
It is possible to wear hearing protection against these noises. During the examination, the patient is in contact with the examination staff via loudspeaker and the examination can be aborted if necessary. In order to be able to see and assess certain structures more clearly, a contrast medium is sometimes injected into a vein before or during the examination by MRI. The examination time of the MRI is up to half an hour, depending on the body region to be examined, rarely longer.
