MRI SCANS Technology helps patients stay calm

The average scan lasts 30 minutes.
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
MILWAUKEE -- Claudia Bringe didn't realize she was claustrophobic until she had her first anxiety attack during an MRI procedure about 20 years ago.
"The sides kind of touch your arms and it feels like you're in a coffin," said Bringe, 43, of Milwaukee. "You're stuck inside it and you can't get out -- and then the banging starts."
So the first thing she did before going for another MRI in March was pop a pill -- Valium -- to keep her calm.
But when she arrived at the hospital, she learned that she could have saved the medication.
View-Master-like goggles were placed over her eyes and headphones on her ears. About 30 minutes later, the MRI was over and she was longing to know the ending of "The Bold and the Beautiful," her favorite soap opera.
Increasingly, hospitals are leaning more on technology and less on medication to keep patients relaxed during their procedure.
Other options
Although listening to music is fairly standard at many hospitals, patients may now have the choice to watch their favorite television station or movie to take their minds off what's going on around them.
"People are pleasantly surprised, once you put the goggles on them, at how much it actually distracts them from their surroundings," said Jeff Stamn, supervisor of imaging services at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center where Bringe had her procedure.
"The most important thing for us is that they remain still, because if they move, it degrades the image and makes it harder to get an accurate diagnosis," he said.
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a screening tool that produces detailed pictures of internal organs and tissue.
It is a noninvasive procedure and is widely used to diagnose a variety of conditions, including heart disease, cancer and injuries of muscles and ligaments.
The typical machine is a closed cylindrical magnet in which the patient is placed, though open-sided machines are also available. The average time for a scan is 30 minutes.
Being enclosed in an MRI machine can make some people feel claustrophobic.
Severely claustrophobic patients can require sedation before the procedure. Roughly one in 20 patients requires medication to reduce the anxiety associated with claustrophobia, according to the Radiological Society of North America.
"A great many people can be scanned by talking to them or holding their hand," said Steve Censky, MRI and CT supervisor at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wis.
At Froedtert, patients are given headphones to let them listen to the radio or CDs.
Though the hospital has budgeted for goggles for next year, Censky says he's not convinced of their effectiveness.
"Normally, the idea is to get someone through a procedure as fast as you can," he said. "Goggles usually tend to make the scan last longer because people get so involved in watching the movie that they just don't hold still."
Children
But what about children?
Nick Pucek, 9, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, or soft tissue cancer, in the muscle of his wrist when he was 5 years old.
He underwent treatment for a year but then relapsed six months later. He had another bout of treatment and has been in remission for about a year.
Through the years, Nick has been getting MRI scans every three months and comes with a different movie to watch through a mirror system each visit.
He brought along "The Incredibles" to watch during his hour scan last month.
"He's pretty much in a little theater in his own world -- complete with surround sound," said his mother, Linda, 44, of Hartland, Wis.
Linda Pucek said that she and her husband, Barry, 44, sit in the room with Nick to help comfort him but that Nick has always been a pretty good patient.
Marie Bye, radiology services manager at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, said that the mirrors also serve another purpose.
"With those, they can look up and see mom or dad sitting in the room," she said.
"They know that they're not alone, and it's not such a scary place then."