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.
NHS GGC MRI safety policy for patients with magnetic nail polish
If a patient reports having magnetic nail polish (e.g. cat eye nail polish), then they must be informed of the low risk of heating. They must also be advised that the design of the magnetic nail polish could be blurred but this is unlikely given the nails are cured. Currently there is no evidence to suggest that patients with magnetic nail polish cannot undergo an MRI scan but the patient must be asked to press the buzzer if they feel any heating. If a patient is unable to report heating for whatever reason then a Radiologist is required to perform a benefit/risk assessment.
If the nails will be in the field of view and cannot be removed by repositioning the patient’s hands, consideration should be given to whether the artefact is likely to impact the diagnostic quality of the MRI. Imaging of the hands is unlikely to be diagnostic if the patient has magnetic nail polish so, in this scenario, it is recommended that the magnetic nail polish is removed if there is a benefit to proceeding with MRI.
For further details please access our risk assessment below.
Risk assessment: Scanning patients with magnetic nail polish