On the day of your MRI, drink the amount of caffeine you normally would so that your results will reflect a regular day for you. Try to limit the amount of water you drink right before your scan.
Unless otherwise instructed, you can eat, drink, or even take your medications as normal before your MRI scan.
Eating before your appointment
If you are receiving a certain cardiac MRI examination, you may not have food for two hours before the examination and NO coffee (decaf or regular); NO caffeine; NO tea; and NO chocolate for 24 hours prior to the examination.
Wearing metal is one of the top items on the list of what not to do before an MRI. Because an MRI is essentially a giant magnet, the MRI techs will ask you to remove any metal items from your person before entering the machine, including any jewelry you may be wearing.
Avoid caffeine for 24 hours prior to the MRI. Do not have sexual relations 48 hours prior to your test. Sometimes, your physician would like you to wait 6 weeks after having a prostate biopsy to have a prostate MRI, this will ensure that the images are very clear. Communicate with your technologist!
Caffeine alters resting- state functional connectivity measured by blood oxygenation level- dependent MRI.
Please eat a light diet the evening before your prostate MRI exam. This means avoid bulky foods or processed (fast food) that cause digestive disturbances. Poultry and/or fish is ok.
What Should I Do Before My MRI? It's important not to drink a lot of caffeine before your MRI because caffeine will make your blood vessels constrict. If your scan is monitoring blood flow, constricted blood vessels will give you inaccurate results.
Can a subject wear deodorant for an MRI scan? It is recommended to refrain from wearing any powder, perfumes, deodorant and/or lotions on your underarms and chest area prior to the procedure. This is to prevent the possibility of localized burns because these items may have metal in them.
MRI is also contraindicated in the presence of internal metallic objects such as bullets or shrapnel, as well as surgical clips, pins, plates, screws, metal sutures, or wire mesh. If you are pregnant or suspect that you may be pregnant, you should notify your physician.
You may have clear liquids up to two hours before the examination. Clear liquids include water, black coffee or tea, apple juice, clear soda, or clear broth. You may take your medication at your normal time with water. Follow any other special instructions from your caregiver.
Eating and Drinking - Please only eat a light meal within four hours of your appointment. Please do not drink caffeine for four hours before your appointment.
Radiologists recommend fasting prior to undergoing a CT or MRI with contrast because of the possible side effects of the contrast agents. While rare, side effects of contrast can cause nausea or vomiting during the test. Vomiting while lying down could cause food blockages in your airway, known as asphyxia.
On the day of your MRI scan, you should be able to eat, drink and take any medication as usual, unless you're advised otherwise. In some cases, you may be asked not to eat or drink anything for up to 4 hours before the scan, and sometimes you may be asked to drink a fairly large amount of water beforehand.
For women, if possible, do not wear an underwire bra (the metal can throw off the magnetic field). Sports bras are usually good and we have hospital gowns to change into if necessary. The clasps on the back of a regular bra are not a problem, but avoid wearing bras that have metal parts on the straps.
Before the exam you will be asked to drink approximately 1 liter (3 bottles) of a liquid called Volumen. This will help distend the bowel so it can be better visualized during the MRI.
If you need to cough or get an itch, tell them and they can get you out, or give you a short break between sequences. Then you are moved out of the machine, released, have your plastic tube removed and can go home.
If you are having an MRI scan that does not require you to follow commands, you may be allowed to fall asleep. You should clarify this with your radiologist before the procedure begins.
Magnets only attract ferromagnetic metals such as iron, cobalt, and nickel. Metal fillings, commonly called silver fillings because of their color, are made of about 50% mercury, plus silver, tin, copper, and other metals. Magnets have no effect on these materials.
It's important that patients remove all clothing prior to their MRI exam. We ask patients to remove: All outer clothing, including shoes. Bras or any undergarment that could have metal in it.
Doctors say you should not drink alcohol or caffeine before an MRI scan! Of course, it is because alcohol & caffeine are both stimulators of blood pressure & flow. When such a thing happens, you are likely to get false MRI images!
How long does an MRI scan take? A single scan may take a few seconds or 3 to 8 minutes. You may be asked to hold your breath during short scans. The total scan lasts 15 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of the area being scanned and how many images are needed.
24 hours prior to your appointment begin eating light meals (for example; broth-based soups, toast, pudding, jello, or applesauce). You may take your medications as usual.
To image the prostate, you will be placed on the MRI table and a special device called a coil will be inserted into the rectum directly under the prostate. You will feel mild discomfort (pressure) during the insertion, but should be comfortable during the exam.
MRI is a valuable tool to detect occult prostate cancers in males with persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels despite negative systematic prostate biopsy [37,38]. Multiparametric MRI provides biopsy target information and can guide a targeted prostate biopsy [39,40].