MRI Patient Care and Positioning Flashcards
6 cards from real MRI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 MRI Patient Care and Positioning flashcards as text
Which coil type provides the best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a specific small anatomy because it is placed closest to the structure?
Answer: Surface coil
Surface coils are placed directly over the anatomy of interest; their proximity maximizes SNR for superficial or small structures compared to larger volume coils.
When positioning a patient for a lumbar spine MRI, the technologist should place the patient in which position to reduce lumbar lordosis and improve image quality?
Answer: Supine with knees flexed and supported by a foam wedge
Flexing the knees with a foam wedge support flattens lumbar lordosis, reducing the curvature and aligning disc spaces parallel to axial slices for optimal visualization.
A patient is claustrophobic and anxious before their MRI. Which non-pharmacological intervention is most appropriate first?
Answer: Explain the procedure, offer a patient communication system, and consider feet-first entry
Thorough patient education, reassurance, mirror/prism glasses, music headphones, and entering the bore feet-first can significantly reduce claustrophobia before pharmacological intervention.
IV line tubing and monitoring cables used inside the MRI suite must be:
Answer: MR-conditional equipment specifically rated for use in the magnetic field
All equipment used within the MRI environment must be labeled MR-conditional or MR Safe to prevent projectile events, burns, or device malfunction.
For MRI of the shoulder, the patient should be positioned with the arm in which orientation to best center the glenohumeral joint?
Answer: Arm at the side in neutral or slight external rotation, shoulder centered in the coil
Positioning the shoulder with the arm at the side in neutral or slight external rotation and centering the glenohumeral joint within the dedicated shoulder coil optimizes image quality.
Which breathing technique is recommended for upper abdominal MRI (liver, pancreas) to minimize respiratory motion artifact?
Answer: Breath-hold acquisitions combined with respiratory-triggered sequences for longer scans
Breath-hold sequences minimize diaphragmatic motion for dynamic contrast imaging; respiratory triggering or navigator gating is used for longer acquisitions that cannot be completed in a single breath-hold.