Having magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

This short video will describe what you can expect during your child’s magnetic resonance imaging exam, or MRI in the Gregg and Celin Miller Radiology Department at CHOC.

You will check in at the admitting desk in the lobby of the hospital’s main entrance.

From there, you’ll be directed to the radiology department, right across from the admitting desk.

After filling out some paperwork in the radiology lobby, an aide will call your child back to the MRI area, where your child will change into a hospital gown and pants.

If your child’s exam is to be done using contrast fluid, your child will need an IV line. Numbing medication can be used and a child life specialist can help comfort your child.

A nurse will place the IV. It will stay in place until the end of the exam.

Your child has the choice of watching a movie or listening to music during the exam.

One adult family member is allowed to stay in the room with your child.

Your child and all family members will need to lock up their belongings and remove any metal or electronics you may have. You will then be screened with a metal detector before entering the MRI scan room.

The scanner is big and can look scary, but an MRI doesn’t hurt. CHOC’s scanners also have a larger opening then most.

You and your child will be given exam instructions and your child will be asked to lie completely still for the entire exam.

You will be given earplugs for the noise and shown to a stool where you can be seated during your child’s exam.

Once the exam starts, the movie or music will play. The hardest part of the exam is not moving. The technologist will talk to your child frequently through their headphones and remind them to hold still.

When the exam is over, the IV will be removed and your child can change back into their clothes.

After the exam, the aide will walk you and your child out to the lobby and provide you with a contact card for your child’s doctor for follow up.