MRI with Claustrophobia. Is It Possible?
When you suffer from claustrophobia, undergoing an MRI scan can seem daunting. But for us, it’s not an obstacle! Using approved methods, the V.S. Buzaev International Medical Centre is changing the approach in medicine for patients with such challenges.
Is it possible to have an MRI with claustrophobia?
Claustrophobia varies. However, quite often, in more than 80% of cases among patients who consider themselves claustrophobic, we can conduct an MRI examination.
This review is the first to systematically summarize the literature on the prevalence of claustrophobic reactions during MRI. The frequency of claustrophobic reactions ranges from 0.46% to 5.29% in the included studies, with a combined effect size of 1.18%. The frequency of claustrophobic reactions may be influenced by the examination conducted, gender, and scanner design.
Claustrophobia should not be an obstacle on your path to health
In our clinic, we have developed a unique approach to conducting MRI, focused on your comfort and peace of mind.
We will dedicate time to you
Working in a fruitful synergy of psychology and medicine, we apply advanced psychological support methods. Our specialists will prepare you using techniques of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), meditation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), making it easier for you to undergo the scan.
We use special techniques
Remember how great magicians make objects disappear on stage right in front of the audience using mirrors?
We take an example and also use a mirror that creates the illusion of open space, which significantly eases the stay in the machine.
Let someone hold your hand!
Professional training is just part of our approach, but it is the love for our work that drives us to transform medicine for your comfort and health.
Is it important to feel support from loved ones?
You can bring someone with you for the examination to ensure your journey to health is safe and as comfortable as possible. Even when we operate, we allow a loved one to be present if the patient desires!
Are you alone?
To create a safe space for you, we will support you both emotionally and physically. Our staff is always ready to assist and provide moral support.
Your loved one can accompany you throughout the entire procedure. Our staff can also stay with you and hold your hand
Here is a video for example. You can see our nurse holding the patient’s hand. Dinara Ilgizovna is conducting psychological preparation. The mirror creates an illusion of space. And most importantly, the team’s love for the patient and their work makes us change approaches and attitudes in medicine. By the way, the nurse in the video has already graduated from university and become a doctor!
What we do not use
Open-type MRI machine
We do not use open MRI; we use a machine with a spacious large opening expert class GE Optima 450w GEM 1.5 Tesla with the widest aperture among scanners of this class – 70 cm Such an aperture is maximally comfortable even for larger patients (up to 130 kilograms). In addition, we have noise reduction programs if noise concerns you.
Any open-type device technologically has a lower magnetic field strength in comparison. This raises serious concerns about the quality of the images.
Anesthesia or sedation
We have the option to provide you with sedation, but inside the MRI machine, you will be difficult to monitor. What if, as a described side effect of the sedative, respiratory arrest occurs? This would be difficult to detect and could be dangerous.
Even when we perform MRI on infants, we place them in the MRI with their mother, who breastfeeds them, and they peacefully sleep together without medication. We strive to avoid sedation as much as possible during MRI examinations. And our non-sedation techniques work.
Conclusion
We firmly believe in a world where taking care of your health becomes a simple and pleasant process, and treatment is safe and compassionate. These unique opportunities combining technology and a human approach to treatment shape the new face of medicine that we are building at the V.S. Buzaev International Medical Centre. Our mission and vision are filled with humanism and modern achievements aimed at creating safe and error-free treatment for all. This also applies to conducting MRI examinations for patients with claustrophobia, which we make possible with a good machine and without the need for anesthesia.
