: How is an MRI done if you have a metal plate in your body ?

Question

Say you have had a fracture and metal plates are used to fix the bones . If you develop a new issue in the same area which requires an MRI scan how would it be performed since no metal objects are allowed in the machine ?

PS : didn’t know whether i had to use a ‘Biology’ or ‘Engineering’ flair.

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Usually surgical metal is made of titanium which is MRI safe. There are specific types of MRIs that can correct for artifacts or sort of “sunspots” thrown off from the metal. If the metal plates are very old, like from the 70’s, they may not be MRI safe in which case the patient would most likely have a CT scan instead.