Information for patients
If you are a patient reading this and have a concern about an MRI scan you are scheduled to attend, we strongly recommend you contact the site where your scan is due to take place, you may also wish to refer to our ‘Information for Patients’ section. Please note local variations to the policies detailed on this website may apply, therefore please contact the hospital where your appointment is scheduled for clarification.
Disclaimer (MUST READ)
The MRI safety information contained within this webpage is intended for use by staff from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) and associated health boards, namely: NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders, NHS Dumfries & Galloway, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Golden Jubilee, and NHS Lanarkshire. Only staff from these health boards are approved to use this information and local variations to the policies detailed may apply. Non-approved users i.e. patients and staff from health boards other than those listed above, or staff from private medical organisations use this information at their own risk. We, NHS GGC, accept no responsibility for patient injury or adverse outcomes that may occur as a consequence of the information contained herein. If you have any questions regarding this disclaimer, please contact the NHS GGC MRI physics team on: ggc.MRSafetyExpert@nhs.scot.
MRI safety status for patients with clips used for haemostasis, ligation or fastening
Must read: What this policy does not cover / notable exceptions
Strictly, this MRI safety policy does not cover patients with aneurysm clips. Policies for aneurysm clips are covered elsewhere. If you are in doubt as to whether a clip may be aneurysm clip or not, then do not proceed and seek further advice.
This policy does not cover patients with clips used for the purposes of endoscopic marking. A policy for dealing with clips used for endoscopic marking can be found here. X. Note that this policy also does not cover intracranial clips, a policy for this will be covered elsewhere X.
Must read: What the policy covers
This policy covers clips used for haemostasis i.e. the process of applying a clip to the vasculature to stop bleeding. The policy does not cover the aneurysm clips, see above. This policy also covers clips that are used for ligation or marking purposes with the exception of endoscopic clips and intracranial clips. Similarly, this policy covers the use of fasteners such as those that are used for vascular grafts.
Must read: The MR safety policy
NHS GGC MRI safety policy states that patients with haemostatic clips i.e. clips to stop bleeding, clips used as markers or for ligation or fasteners may be safely scanned using 1.5T and 3T MRI. Patients with these clips may be safely scanned at 1.5T or 3T immediately following the application of the clip or clips. This policy includes patients who may not be able to communicate clip movement or clip heating for whatever reason. Note that this policy does not cover aneurysm clips or clips used for endoscopic marking.
Risk assessment: A risk assessment underpinning this policy can be found here:
GenericRiskAssessmentForm_MR_scanning_clips
Additional background information and discussion
Clarity and consistency is required across GGC in respect of how MRI units make decisions on whether or not to scan patients who present to MRI with hemostatic clips, clips for ligation, clips used as markers or fasteners.
Hemostatic clips used to stop bleeding or clips for ligation or fastening are typically made from non-ferromagnetic or weakly ferrous materials i.e. they are not made from a material that would translate or rotate significantly in the presence of the high magnetic field of the MRI. In addition, clips are not of a size or shape that would typically be a concern in regard to RF heating. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no injury or adverse event has occurred to a patient in MRI as a result of the presence of these types of clips. This situation continues to be monitored.
See the following links on MRI safety in post-op
http://www.mrisafety.com/SafetyInfov.asp?SafetyInfoID=194