MRI Positioning for Hand Scans
No, your head does not need to go inside the MRI machine for a hand scan. For MRI imaging of the hands, only the hand being scanned needs to be positioned within the magnetic field, typically with the patient lying feet-first or positioned so that just the arm extends into the scanner bore 1.
Standard Positioning for Extremity MRI
- The patient can be positioned with their body outside the main scanner bore, with only the hand/arm extended into the imaging area 1, 2.
- Feet-first positioning is commonly used for hand MRI, allowing the patient's head to remain completely outside the scanner tunnel, which significantly reduces claustrophobia concerns 3.
- The hand is placed in a specialized radiofrequency (RF) coil designed specifically for extremity imaging, which captures the MRI signal from just the hand region 4.
Key Advantages of This Positioning
- Claustrophobia is essentially eliminated since the head never enters the confined space of the scanner bore 1, 3.
- Patient comfort is dramatically improved compared to head or body scans where the entire patient must be positioned within the narrow tube 3.
- Scan quality is not compromised because only the body part being imaged needs to be within the magnetic field's center 4.
Important Caveats
- The hand must remain completely still during the scan (typically 20-45 minutes), even though your body is positioned comfortably outside the scanner 4.
- Metal screening still applies - you cannot have any metal objects on your hand (rings, watches, bracelets) or ferromagnetic implants in your arm 3, 5.
- Some older or smaller MRI machines may require different positioning, but modern scanners are specifically designed to accommodate extremity imaging without full-body insertion 2, 4.