Blog Audio - Weight Bearing MRI With Dr. Richard Guyer

In the history of medicine, there are very few diagnostic procedures which have had the impact of magnetic resonance imaging, more commonly known as MRI. The MRI scanners use magnetic fields, radio waves and field gradients to form images of the anatomy and they are capable of revealing the physiological properties of the body, including disease and injuries. The MRI process was patented and introduced to physicians in the mid 1970’s, and one of the early adopters of this technology was Texas Back Institute. Recently, one of the three founders of Texas Back Institute, Dr. Richard Guyer, shared his insights about the value of the MRI scans for spine diagnosis. A New MRI Technology Texas Back Institute has a rich history of pioneering new medical technology and the organization has one of the first MRI’s designed for spine diagnostics. Dr. Guyer explains how this new machine differs from the traditional MRI. “First of all, it’s a more compact MRI scan,” he noted. “Plus, it is much cheaper than the traditional MRI scan and it works off a lower magnetic field.” “Just as we see advancements in other fields, such as electronics, cell phones or computers, the developers of this new MRI, with very low magnetic fields, are able to get good images.” “The other advantage of having a low magnetic field is that it allows patients who have had previous surgeries and have various metal implants – such as screws, rods and cages – to hold the spine together will cause what we call ‘scatter.’ That means we are unable to get good pictures with a regular MRI scan. With this low magnetic field scan, they have developed special software that allows us to see better images of the nerves and the bones despite the hardware in these patients. (Image of the new MRI, without patient) “This new MRI has another important advancement,” Dr. Guyer noted. “It has the ability to take upright images. The reason why this is important is that in many spinal abnormalities, patients don’t hurt when they’re lying down. They say, ‘doctor, I hurt when I’m up on my feet or when I stand too long or when I’m walking.’ Now, we have the ability to take an MRI scan when the patient is in a standing position. “This is what we call being in a ‘loaded’ position, where the weight of the body is being transmitted through the spine and through the disc and may actually cause a bulging of the disc. This can cause a pinching of the nerves and may also cause instability. These conditions are not going to be visible when the patient is lying flat on their back.” “I’ve had numerous patients who have normal MRI scans while they were lying on their backs,” he said. “And when you stand them up for regular, plain x-rays, we see that they have abnormal motion. Read the full text at www.texasback.com/blog