• To all readers: there was a very interesting and pertinent article that recently was posted at theheart.org / Medscape. This is a professional site and not accessible to patients so, if your physician is not sure whether or not you can have an MRI safely, have him/her read this piece. The article is written by Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley, a Kentucky-based cardiologist. It is an extensive look at the specific issue of heart patients getting MRI exams. The article is titled, 'Cardiology's Biggest Lie: No MRI for Your Device Patient' and concludes by saying, 'It's high time to crawl out and expose cardiology's biggest lie, so here goes: Most of our device patients really can have an MRI safely after all.' Enough said. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, August 12, 2014 |
• Darren - Interesting. One would have to assume that the MRI imaging facility and cardiologists worked this out before-hand since it sounds like most people in the trial had stents. Hopefully. In any case, you can check the specific stent at MRISafety.com and then check with the researchers to see if they followed the recommendations for safe Tesla strength. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, June 29, 2014 |
• Lisa -- This is outside of our field, but check out MRISafety.com and see if they have any information on this. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, June 14, 2014 |
• Call the cardiologist. If you did not get a card, they should be able to send you one or refer you to a patient coordinator at the hospital who will take care of that. The type of stent including size and diameter is part of your patient record. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, May 23, 2014 |
• LM in Philadelphia - If your grandmother had an angioplasty done in 1994, the likelihood of her having had a stent placed is relatively low, but we certainly could not rule it out. The first stents were approved by the FDA in 1993 and 1994, so stent placement was not routine, unlike today where 90% or more of angioplasties involve stents. A CT Angiogram is a non-invasive test that most likely would show a stent. If there was a stent, it probably would be a Palmaz-Schatz bare metal stent which, according to Dr. Frank Shellock's web site, MRISafety.com, is safe for MRI imaging if the Tesla strength is 1.5 Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, July 26, 2014 |
• Nate on Georgia - We do not have the specialized expertise on this matter but would suggest you check out Dr. Frank Shellock's web site, MRISafety.com. He has done a significant amount of work in this area and you might find some resources there. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, March 17, 2014 |
• Larry in Missouri - According to the MRI Safety database, compiled by Dr. Frank Shellock, the Palmaz-Schatz stent you are describing is MRI safe at a setting of 1.5 Tesla. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, December 20, 2013 |
• SuzyQ - The BX Sonic is basically the bare metal version of the Cypher stent. MRISafety gives it a 'conditional5' rating for Tesla strength 3.0. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, November 10, 2013 |
• mrichic in Georgia - if you look at the MRI Safety database, compiled by Dr. Frank Shellock, you'll see that different stents have different tolerances vis-a-vis MRI. Mostly the older generation, which tend to have a greater amount of metal, need a lower Tesla strength scan. If the patient does not have a card, it may be possible to make an educated guess by getting a date for the stent placement. For the U.S., prior to 2003, stents were bare metal. From 2003-2008, stents were 1st generation drug-eluting stents, most likely Taxus or Cypher. From 2008 to the present, the 2nd generation stents were available, either Promus, Xience, Taxus Liberte, Endeavor, or Resolute. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, August 10, 2013 |
• Massachusetts - This topic is about MRI and stents. You don't mention if you have a stent but your post sounds like you are having problems outside this topic area. You should discuss the adverse effects you're experiencing with your doctor. Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, April 16, 2013 |
• Marc F. from Nevada -- Are the stents near your lower back. If so, you need to find out the brand and model of the stents and then look it up on the database we've referenced below Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, February 6, 2013 |
• JoAnn B in Florida -- According to the MRI Safety database, compiled by Dr. Frank Shellock, your stents are MRI safe at a field strength of 1.5-Tesla. And Shailesh in New Delhi -- Your relative's stent is probably a 'Bard XT' and,according to Dr. Shellock's database, it is also safe at a Tesla strength of 1.5 Angioplasty.Org Staff, Angioplasty.Org, February 3, 2013 |
• Ron in Michigan -- It would be extremely helpful if your doctor could tell you the brand of the stent, but also exactly what type of device it is. A 'shoulder' stent is probably a subclavian stent. Can't believe there is no record of which stent. There has to be some indication in the hospital records. In any case, discuss this with the MRI tech and have them use as low strength a magnet as is feasible. Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, Jan 9, 2013 |
• PM from Georgia -- Thanks for the info. Many of the most recently approved coronary stents have been approved for immediate MRI -- but, of course, you should check with the manufacturer -- there are instances when an MRI is necessary and can't wait for 8 weeks. We reported on this back in 2005, and since then most coronary stents have gotten approval for immediate MRI. And Peggy in Arizona, not sure what the tech meant by '6'. Strength of MRI is measured by the magnet, usually a 1.5 or 3.0 Tesla. Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, Decmebr 29, 2012 |
• To all posters -- read through our responses to these types of questions. We'd refer all to the database at MRISafety.com where you can look up your device and see what's known about it. If you have further questions, or your device is not listed, ask your interventional cardiologist, the physician who placed the stent. Hint: when you do a search on MRISafety, use the category 'Coils, filters, stents and grafts.' Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, October 18, 2012 |
• Cos from the UK -- If you look at our post from August 2010 (and any since then), you will note that we are not saying the Tesla strength of an MRI can be adjusted. However, some facilities have more than one MRI unit, and some older stents are not cleared definiteively for a full 3.0T so a lower strength machine should be utilized in those cases. Also patients with multiple stents may need special consideration. Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, March 1, 2012 |
• To all readers -- see our March 28 post. Most stents are okay for MRI, but it is important not to go beyond the recommended Tesla strength, Make sure the MRI technician is aware of the fact that you have a stent. And refer to the database we linked to. Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, November 11, 2011 |
• Very Worried in North Dakota -- If you read our March 28 post, you'll find a database of stents and whether or not they've been tested to be safe for MRI and, if so, at what strength Tesla they've been measured. However, since you have ten stents, the chances are that you have a number of different types. If your MRI technicians were aware of the situation, you should be okay, because hopefully they would have given you an MRI of a low enough strength. Do you know what Tesla strength MRI you got? Sick to your stomach is not a symptom we have heard of associated with any problem caused by the MRI heating up or moving the stents, but discuss this with your cardiologist, if only to calm your worries. Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, August 21, 2011 |
• Joel Z from Chicago -- If you search Dr. Frank Shellock's database, noted in our August 16 and January 27 posts, you find that the Palmaz-Schatz stents are considered 'SAFE' for MRI when the field strength of the unit is 1.5 Tesla. This is very important, because greater Tesla fields (for example, 3.0) may not be. The referenced article appeared in the October 1998 of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology, and is titled 'Are Current Cardiovascular Stents MRI Safe?' (pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10762825). Angioplasty.Org Staff,Angioplasty.Org, March 28, 2011 |