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sonora regional medical center

Stroke. Spinal abnormalities. Cancer. Disk herniation. Heart disease. Multiple Sclerosis. Sonora Regional Imaging Center’s open bore MRI can tackle the toughest studies and the most complex pathologies as well as provide comfort and ease to patients who are sick or injured.

Your doctor may need an MRI image to identify injuries or better determine if disease exists in your body. With these high-quality images, your doctor’s diagnosis will be more accurate and dependable, and their ability to treat you will be even better.

An MRI scan is simply an image of body tissues, created with a huge magnet and radio waves. No X-ray or other high-energy radiation is involved.

Sonora Regional Imaging Center’s open bore MRI offers you expansive patient comfort with the highest, safest level of scan power.

You’ll notice from first glance that our MRI is different. For almost all exams, including lumbar spine scans, your feet go in first and your head remains outside of the magnet. Without question, our patients enjoy the most open lumbar scan in the Sierra Foothills. Even personal contact is possible — for example, holding a child’s hand for comfort and reassurance. If you’re injured, our table raises and lowers so you won’t have to.

When a head-first exam is necessary, comfort remains our priority. You’ll have an open view and generous headroom with at least a foot of space above your nose. You’ll also notice much more elbowroom. No longer should you feel anxious or claustrophobic. We want you to relax and feel safe.

How to prepare for an MRI
You will want to wear comfortable clothing without zippers, snaps or metal fasteners. You will be asked to remove hearing aids and removable dental work. 

We recommend that you leave all jewelry, watches and cell phones at home; however we do have secure lockers for you in the dressing room.

Plan to arrive 30 minutes in advance so the technologist will have time to discuss the examination with you.

If a contrast agent is to be administered, a temporary IV site will be established in the privacy of our pre-exam prep room.

They will need to wear clothing without zippers, snaps or metal fasteners, and also leave jewelry, watches and cell phones at home. [back to top]

What happens during the examination?
Starting and finishing exams is as easy as lying down and getting up from your sofa because the table adjusts to a comfortable and accessible level.

For virtually all exams, including lumbar spine scans, your feet go in first and your head remains outside of the slim, 125 cm magnet. You will constantly see the examination room and communicate whenever you wish throughout the short scan time.

If you have problems lying flat, we will gladly provide a cushion for your head or for raising your knees.

You will have a generous amount of headroom —approximately one foot above your nose. With the spacious two-foot diameter opening, there is also a lot of elbowroom.

A typical MRI scan includes three to nine imaging sequences and may take up to one hour.

You will be asked to hold still for short periods of time while the scan is in progress. Expect to hear a series of knocking sounds from the machine as the pictures are taken. The technologist will be monitoring the exam from an adjoining room and can hear and talk with you at all times.

If a contrast agent is to be administered, you will receive temporary IV site in our pre-exam prep room. The contrast agent will be injected into the IV for the last series of scans and immediately removed following your exam.
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What happens after the exam?
It will take approximately 2-3 business days for your doctor to receive your MRI results.

MRI enables your doctor to better determine if diseases exist in your body. The higher the image quality, the more accurate and dependable will be your doctor’s diagnosis, thus permitting us to help you better.