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MRI Scan Center - Knoxville, TN

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Knoxville, Tennessee

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MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan)

What is an MRI scan?

An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures. The MRI scanner is a tube surrounded by a giant circular magnet. The patient is placed on a moveable bed that is inserted into the magnet. The magnet creates a strong magnetic field that aligns the protons of hydrogen atoms, which are then exposed to a beam of radio waves. This spins the various protons of the body, and they produce a faint signal that is detected by the receiver portion of the MRI scanner. The receiver information is processed by a computer, and an image is produced.

The image and resolution produced by MRI is quite detailed and can detect tiny changes of structures within the body. For some procedures, contrast agents, such as gadolinium, are used to increase the accuracy of the images.

When are MRI scans used?

An MRI scan can be used as an extremely accurate method of disease detection throughout the body. In the head, trauma to the brain can be seen as bleeding or swelling. Other abnormalities often found include brain aneurysms, stroke, tumors of the brain, as well as tumors or inflammation of the spine.

Neurosurgeons use an MRI scan not only in defining brain anatomy but in evaluating the integrity of the spinal cord after trauma. It is also used when considering problems associated with the vertebrae or intervertebral discs of the spine. An MRI scan can evaluate the structure of the heart and aorta, where it can detect aneurysms or tears.

It provides valuable information on glands and organs within the abdomen, and accurate information about the structure of the joints, soft tissues, and bones of the body. Often, surgery can be deferred or more accurately directed after knowing the results of an MRI scan.

What are the risks of an MRI scan?/...

Recommended Reading Related to MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan)

Stroke »

What is a stroke?

Brain cell function requires a constant delivery of oxygen and glucose from the bloodstream. A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is disrupted, causing brain cells to die. Blood flow can be compromised by a variety of mechanisms.

Blockage of an artery

  • Narrowing of the small arteries within the brain can cause a lacunar stroke, (lacune means "empty space"). Blockage of a single arteriole can affect a tiny area of brain causing that tissue to die (infarct).
  • Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) leading to the brain. There are four major blood vessels that supply the brain with blood. The anterior circulation of the brain that controls most motor  activity, sensation, thought, speech, and emotion is supplied by the carotid arteries. The posterior circulation, which supplies the brainstem and the cer...

Emergency Contact for Knoxville

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Knoxville Hospitals *

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
1901 Clinch Ave SW
Knoxville, TN 37916
(865)541-1111

Baptist Riverside Outpatient Testing
137 W Blount Ave
Knoxville, TN 37920
(865)218-7011

Select Specialty Hospital
1901 Clinch Ave
Knoxville, TN 37916
(865)541-2600

East Tennessee Children's Hospital
2018 Clinch Ave
Knoxville, TN 37916
(865)541-8000

St Marys Health System
900 E Oak Hill Ave
Knoxville, TN 37917
(865)545-8000

University of Tennessee Medical Center
1924 Alcoa Hwy
Knoxville, TN 37920
(865)544-9000

Lakeshore Mental Health Institute
5908 Lyons View Dr
Knoxville, TN 37919
(865)584-1561

Peninsula Hospital
2347 Jones Bend Rd
Louisville, TN 37777
(865)970-9800

Parkwest Medical Center
9352 Park West Blvd
Knoxville, TN 37923
(865)373-1000

Baptist Hospital for Women
10820 Parkside Dr NW
Knoxville, TN 37934
(865)218-6011

Blount Memorial Hospital
907 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy
Maryville, TN 37804
(865)983-7211

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge
990 Oak Ridge Tpke
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865)835-1000

Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital & Center
240 W Tyrone Rd
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865)482-1076

Fort Loudoun Medical Center
550 Fort Loudoun Medical Center Dr
Lenoir City, TN 37772
(865)271-6000

Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center
709 Middle Creek Rd
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865)429-6100

St Mary's Jefferson Memorial Hospital
110 Hospital Dr
Jefferson City, TN 37760
(865)471-2500

St Mary's Medical Center of Campbell County
923 E Central Ave
La Follette, TN 37766
(423)907-1200

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