MRI in pregnancy: contraindications, consequences

For some reason, we all sometimes have to undergo any diagnostic tests. Do not make exceptions and women during pregnancy, because they have to track not only their health status, but also the development of a future child. In addition to the planned ultrasound, the doctor can prescribe an MRI during pregnancy. What is this diagnostic method, and why is it used?

Whether it is possible to do or make MRT at pregnancy?

MRI (deciphered as magnetic resonance imaging) is a diagnostic method that uses the properties of magnetic fields. In pregnancy, MRI can be prescribed, if necessary, for examination of diseases of the woman and the fetus.

MRI in pregnancy is used as an independent study, or as an addition to the diagnosis already done:

• to assess the existing pathologies in the fetus;
• for the diagnosis of tumor processes;
• to clarify the pre-set diagnoses.

The method of magnetic resonance imaging can detect problems with the spine, joints, central nervous system.

Effect of MRI on pregnancy

The MRI method is sometimes confused with CT scan - computed tomography, in which unsafe ionizing rays are used. The negative effect of radiation on the body has been proven for a long time and does not require additional confirmation. It is especially undesirable to perform CT during pregnancy - this can cause considerable harm to the body and mother and child.

MRI also implies the application of a completely different principle of obtaining information. Inside the MRI apparatus, a powerful magnetic field with a force of 0.5-3 T appears. Such a field can not initially harm any human body.

Numerous studies confirm that conducting magnetic resonance imaging is completely safe, both for pregnant women and for any other patients.

Is MRI harmful during pregnancy? Definitely not. The only condition - MRI is undesirable to conduct in the first trimester. And here it is not at all that it is considered harmful. Just the period of the first trimester is the time of laying the main organs of the future baby. In addition, until the placenta is formed, the fetus still does not have sufficient protection. Therefore, it is better to be safe and prescribe an MRI for a later period of pregnancy.

[1], [2], [3]

Advantages and disadvantages of MRI in pregnancy

Benefits	disadvantages
The procedure is safe, since the method does not imply the use of radiation and X-ray radiation.	The picture can not be received immediately.
You can get a three-dimensional image of the surveyed area.	Sometimes the image is distorted by respiratory movements, heart rhythm.
On the received image there is a natural contrast from blood circulation.	Conducting MRI is usually relatively expensive.
The outline of the bone tissue in the picture is not distorted.	It is impossible to diagnose people with metal implants.
Soft tissues have a strictly differentiated display.	A pregnant woman must spend some time in a closed space in a stationary state.

[4], [5]

Indications for the procedure

MRI in pregnancy can not be prescribed "just like that": for this procedure, clear indications must be formulated, which the doctor determines. Such indications include:

• suspicion of pathology in the future child;
• pathology of the spine, joints or internal organs of a pregnant woman;
• assessment of indications for an abortion;
• clarification of the diagnosis if a tumor is suspected.

In addition, MRI in pregnancy can be used instead of traditional ultrasound, in cases where the latter is impossible. For example, ultrasound may not be indicative of obesity in a woman, or in the uncomfortable position of a child in the late stages of pregnancy.

[6]

Preparation

In most cases, MRI does not require any special training. Only in some cases, when examining certain areas, the doctor will recommend carrying out the preparatory stage before the procedure.

• Before the MRI of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity, it is advisable not to drink or take food about 5 hours before the procedure.
• Before carrying out an MRI of the small pelvis, you must drink enough fluid to fill the bladder.
• Before the MRI of the spine, you need to be ready to be in a stationary state for a while - this procedure does not go so fast.

Immediately before the procedure, you should remove from yourself metal jewelry, watches, glasses, piercing elements.

[7]

Technique of the mRI in pregnancy

A woman before the procedure MRI is warned about possible contraindications and the intricacies of the diagnosis. After this, the patient, if necessary, changes clothes and, with the help of medical personnel, lays down on a special surface, which then gently moves to the MRI unit.

Then the woman remains to relax, calm down and wait for the end of the procedure. You can not move while taking pictures, otherwise you can "blur" the image.

If you are annoyed by extraneous noise, ask the medical staff for special "ear plugs" during the procedure, the device produces a small monotonous noise, which can increase the degree of discomfort.

It is necessary to prepare for the fact that the session can last 20-40 minutes.

MRI with contrast in pregnancy

MRI with contrast is most often used to identify tumor and metastatic processes - tomography allows you to assess the size and structure of the pathological focus.

Contrast is a gadolinium salt, which is soluble in water and has the lowest toxicity. For MRI can be used and other contrast agents: Endorem, Lumirem, Abdoscan, Gastromark.

Contrast is introduced into the circulatory system and accumulates in the tissues - this makes the area under investigation more clear, and also allows assessing the quality of the blood filling of tissues.

MRI with contrast during pregnancy is allowed in the second or third trimester, excluding early periods when the fetus is not yet surrounded by a placental protection. In other cases, the use of contrast medium is not prohibited: if necessary, it is administered even to children of child age.

MRI of the brain during pregnancy

MRI of the brain can be given to pregnant women if the following indications are available:

• tumor processes in the brain;
• cardiovascular pathologies in the brain;
• hypophyseal disorders;
• acute disturbance of cerebral circulation;
• head trauma;
• pathology of the central nervous system;
• severe headaches of unknown origin.

With such indications, the diagnosis of MRI is more informative. Other procedures can not always determine the cause of the pathology. MRI during pregnancy not only provides comprehensive information on the state of the brain, but also is a safe method of research.

MRI of the fetus during pregnancy

Assign MRI of the fetus during pregnancy with a suspected gross developmental defects, which may prove to be an artificial abortion - abortion.

Many may note that most patients are evaluated by ultrasound to evaluate the condition of the fetus. However, it is not always possible to make ultrasound, or it can be uninformative. For example, MRI is more preferable if the pregnant woman has a significant fat layer (obesity). Indications for MRI are also oligohydramnion (low water) and uncomfortable position of the fetus during late pregnancy.

MRI of the sinuses of the nose during pregnancy

Diagnosis of the sinuses of the nose with the use of MRI is allowed from about 18 weeks, but only after consultation with a gynecologist. The doctor can prescribe an MRI of the sinuses during pregnancy only if there are strict indications:

• presumptive tumors in the area;
• inflammatory process in the sinuses;
• fungal infections of the sinuses;
• cysts and other benign neoplasms;
• bleeding in the nasal cavity, purulent sinusitis.

MRI of the nasal sinuses does not have a negative effect, even in the case of repeated use. This procedure is considered painless and safe.

MRI of the lungs in pregnancy

Magnetic resonance imaging of the respiratory system, viz., Of the lungs and bronchi, is used in cases when a pregnant woman is suspected of:

• pleurisy;
• vascular changes in the lungs;
• tumor processes;
• circulatory disorder in the lungs;
• cystic fibrosis;
• pneumonia;
• atelectasis;
• tuberculosis.

In pregnancy, MRI is preferable to X-ray examination, which is extremely not recommended in this period, as it can inflict undeniable harm to the fetus.

MRI in early pregnancy

MRI in early pregnancy is not recommended. However, in the presence of strict indications, the doctor can prescribe this diagnostic procedure - for example, if a serious pathology is suspected in the fetus (MRI provides much more information than ultrasound).

If in the first trimester you have to examine the brain or spinal cord, the doctor will always give preference to the MRI. Sometimes MRI can be used instead of ultrasound at the first screening (at week 12). Tomography allows you to better visualize the tissue, determine the likely defects of the fetus and provide timely medical assistance.

The magnetic field with MRI is not harmful to the human body. The fact that in some cases doctors do not recommend using MRI in the early stages is nothing more than "reinsurance". The first trimester is the period when the fetus is actively formed, so medical specialists at this time try to avoid any procedures and interventions at all.

MRI of the spine in early pregnancy

If, with the onset of pregnancy, spine diseases become aggravated, the doctor can prescribe the MRI procedure to clarify the diagnosis. Is it possible to carry out the procedure on an early date?

If the pathology of the spine is such that you can wait a few weeks, before the second trimester, it is better not to rush with the diagnosis. MRI of the spine in early terms is carried out only on strict indications:

• with suspicion of tumor processes in the spine;
• with acute pain of an obscure nature.

In principle, the MRI procedure is not dangerous, but it is generally accepted that in early terms it is carried out only in the presence of emergency indications.

MRI in late pregnancy

Conduction of magnetic resonance imaging does not involve the use of ionizing radiation. The main mechanism of influence in MRI is the influence of the electromagnetic field. A snapshot of the required body region is obtained as follows: the apparatus pumps a magnetic field at a power of 0.5-2 T, and waves propagating to the protons with a rotational pulse are directed to the surveyed zone. After the termination of the action of the waves, the particles "die down", while generating a certain dose of energy recorded by a special hardware sensor. The reaction of atoms to the influence of electromagnetic waves is described by the term "resonance", which determines the name of the MRI procedure.

If you carefully study the mechanism of action of this type of diagnosis, you can be sure that the procedure does not have any devastating consequences for the body. At least, the magnetic field used in MRI devices can be used without any risk in medicine, including, in the late pregnancy.

Contraindications to the procedure

It is undesirable to carry out MRI during pregnancy in the first trimester - during the formation of the main organs in the future baby. Although the presence and extent of harm to MRI for the child, even in this period is not proven.

Among other contraindications for MRI in pregnancy can be identified:

• presence of metallic interference in the body, which can affect the function of the magnetic field (pacemakers, metal implants, frames and spokes);
• the woman's body weight is more than 200 kg.

Since the MRI is accompanied by placing the patient in a closed hardware space, the procedure usually does not allow persons suffering from claustrophobia or certain mental disorders.

[8], [9]

Complications after the procedure

Often, women who are worried about the normal course of pregnancy and the state of the unborn child, are wary of this method of diagnosis, like MRI. However, during all the years of practice, negative consequences were not observed after this procedure.

If a pregnant woman in the absence of contraindications had an MRI, then she would not do any harm to the health of her baby.

However, in spite of everything, it is necessary to carry out MRI during pregnancy only if there are strict medical indications, and not for "interest". MRI is a very serious method and is prescribed only by a doctor for certain diagnostic purposes.

[10], [11]