MRI MRI Patient Care and Positioning 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which coil type provides the best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a specific small anatomy because it is placed closest to the structure?
- Body coil
- Head coil
- Surface coil (Correct answer)
- Volume coil
Correct 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.
Question 2: 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?
- Prone with legs flat
- Supine with knees flexed and supported by a foam wedge (Correct answer)
- Lateral decubitus position
- Seated upright
Correct 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.
Question 3: A patient is claustrophobic and anxious before their MRI. Which non-pharmacological intervention is most appropriate first?
- Refuse the exam and reschedule
- Explain the procedure, offer a patient communication system, and consider feet-first entry (Correct answer)
- Immediately administer IV sedation
- Use a stronger magnetic field to shorten scan time
Correct 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.
Question 4: IV line tubing and monitoring cables used inside the MRI suite must be:
- Standard clinical-grade equipment from any hospital supply
- MR-conditional equipment specifically rated for use in the magnetic field (Correct answer)
- Removed prior to scanning and replaced after
- Made of stainless steel only
Correct 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.
Question 5: For MRI of the shoulder, the patient should be positioned with the arm in which orientation to best center the glenohumeral joint?
- Arm elevated above the head
- Arm at the side in neutral or slight external rotation, shoulder centered in the coil (Correct answer)
- Arm crossed over the chest
- Arm in full internal rotation only
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which breathing technique is recommended for upper abdominal MRI (liver, pancreas) to minimize respiratory motion artifact?
- Free breathing throughout all sequences
- Breath-hold acquisitions combined with respiratory-triggered sequences for longer scans (Correct answer)
- Hyperventilation before each sequence
- Continuous shallow breathing
Correct 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.
MRI MRI Patient Care and Positioning 1
Which coil type provides the best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a specific small anatomy because it is placed closest to the structure?