MRI Safety in Patients with Coronary Stents
Yes, patients with coronary stents can safely undergo MRI at any time after stent placement, including immediately after implantation. 1, 2
Safety Profile
All current coronary stents are MRI-safe and do not pose risks during magnetic resonance imaging procedures at field strengths up to 3 Tesla. 1, 2, 3
No waiting period is required after coronary stent placement before performing MRI—imaging can be done immediately post-implantation. 2, 4
No special monitoring is needed during the MRI procedure for patients with coronary stents, unlike certain other cardiac devices. 2
Evidence Supporting Safety
The safety profile is robust across multiple parameters:
No stent migration occurs during MRI, as coronary stents exhibit only minor magnetic field interactions insufficient to cause movement. 5, 4
Heating is negligible, with temperature increases of only 0.5°C or less documented even at high specific absorption rates (SAR of 2.0 W/kg). 4, 6
Clinical outcomes are unaffected, with no difference in event rates between patients undergoing MRI versus matched controls without MRI exposure. 5
This applies to both bare metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES), including cobalt alloy-based drug-eluting stents tested at 3 Tesla. 4
Important Distinction from Other Cardiac Devices
Do not confuse coronary stents with other cardiac implants—while coronary stents are MRI-safe, pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators generally remain contraindications for MRI. 1, 2 This distinction is critical when screening patients for MRI eligibility.
Technical Limitations (Not Safety Concerns)
While safe, coronary stents do create imaging limitations:
Local artifacts occur around the stent that can degrade image quality, particularly affecting visualization of coronary arteries near the metal. 1, 2
The coronary lumen within the stent region is generally not well visualized, which limits diagnostic capability specifically for coronary MRA but does not affect safety. 1, 2
For evaluating stent patency and integrity specifically, cardiac CT is superior to cardiac MRI. 2
Artifacts extend approximately 16 mm for T1-weighted spin echo sequences and 23 mm for gradient echo sequences around the stent. 4
Clinical Application
Proceed with MRI without hesitation in patients with coronary stents when clinically indicated for any body region, as the evidence from both major cardiology guidelines and research studies consistently demonstrates safety across all currently available stent types. 7, 1, 2, 5, 3, 8