I really think the biggest concern is that you will be killed by your magnetic jewelry. People have been killed by magnetic jewelry going into an MRI. It really is that dangerous and the magnets really are that powerful, even next to the machine but not inside. The worst that could happen is serious injury or death. Compared to that, having to take the image over is no big deal, so that is obviously not the biggest concern.

But if your jewelry is not magnetic, and you are SURE its not magnetic, then in that case the biggest risk is obstructing their view. Just be 100% sure your jewelry is not magnetic.

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/01156/mri-risks.html


Metallic objects in the body, such as pacemakers, surgical wire and aneurism clips, can be dislodged or caused to malfunction. Metal outside the body can also heat during an MRI scan, and cause severe burns to the surrounding area. It's been reported that jewelry, electrode leads and foil-backed drug patches have caused serious burns to patients. Even metal fragments in tattoo ink, permanent eyeliner or cosmetics can cause burns.

In 2001, a 6-year-old boy undergoing an MRI died after the magnetic force field suddenly sucked a steel oxygen tank out of the hands of a doctor in the room. The tank, about the size of a fire extinguisher, was whipped into the patient chamber it at a velocity of 20 to 30 feet per second. The boy suffered a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage, and died two days later.

The lesson here is that anyone undergoing an MRI must be acutely aware of any metal whatsoever in or about his person before entering the scanner.





Edited by Sentient - September/12/2008 at 4:01pm

Sentient, I'm not 100% sure of the quality of my jewlery. but if I do as you suggested earlier, go to a hard wear store or whatever and test out the magnets on my jewlery, will that be good enough?

I really have no chance / time to get to toronto this week to double check.
my biggest concern would be my rook, because I am pretty sure that the jewlery is shitty. stupid adrenaline.

If in any doubt, the scanner operators have magnets to test your jewellery. However, if they are in any doubt whatsoever they will ask that you remove the jewellery just to be safe. That's what happened to me last time :P

An MRI has the potential to heat up anything metallic.
And yes, if you had magnetic jewellery in, the MRI would rip it out of your body. They are very powerful, and as said above, someone was killed by a really careless mistake.
What was a doctor doing in the room anyways? Can't exposure to that all the time do some damage?
X-rays are *really* different from MRI's..
I had a CAT scan and had to take out the jewellery in my ears, but not my mouth/face. It was a CAT scan of my brain...