MRI & Open MRI

What is MRI/OPEN MRI?

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, uses radio waves and magnetic fields to produce images of the inside of your body. Your doctor may order this type of scan to look at almost any part of your internal anatomy. Dr. Deepak Das and his fellow radiologists offer MRI scans to patients in New Port Richey, Florida, and the surrounding area. To schedule an MRI, please contact Excel Medical Imaging by calling or booking your appointment online.

We are also pleased to announce that we have both a closed and an Open MRI on-site at Excel. Our Open MRI scanner features a true open layout of the room with a sky-ceiling and true windows, unlike many other facilities. This truly assists our claustrophobic patients to receive the care they need.

Open MRI Excel

MRI Q & A

What is an MRI/OPEN MRI?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (a.k.a MRI or MR scan) is an imaging test that utilizes a powerful magnet to create 2d and 3d images of your body. MRIs literally magnetize and de-magnetize individual atoms within your body, thousands of times over in each scan. As the atoms in your body “flip-flop” their magnetic fields, they generate faint radio signals that are then picked up by the machine’s sensors to create detailed images of your body.

There are many different types of MRI scans that we offer for virtually every part of the body.

MRI is considered a specialized imaging tool utilized to help solve or diagnose problems in specific organ systems or blood vessels. Many MRIs require an intravenous (IV) injection of gadolinium-containing contrast (not to be confused with CT’s iodine based contrast) to ensure the best possible images and enhance detail. The generated images can be reformatted into multiple 3-dimensional planes. Your doctor can review these images on a computer monitor, or transfer them to a CD or DVD. Most referring physicians also have secure access to our systems and can view them directly in their offices.

When is an MRI/OPEN MRI used?

MRI images are more detailed than the images provided by other scanning technologies, such as CT scans and X-rays. Your doctor may recommend this test to produce high-resolution images of your:

  • Brain and spinal cord
  • Heart and blood vessels
  • Bones and joints
  • Other internal organs

Doctors can use these images to diagnose and/or monitor a variety of conditions, including:

  • Tumors
  • Joint abnormalities
  • Disc abnormalities
  • Bone infections
  • Heart disease or heart conditions
  • Brain injury
  • Stroke
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Aneurysms
How do I prepare for an MRI/OPEN MRI?

Please remember to bring your Prescription, Photo Identification, Copay and Insurance information if they have not already been submitted by your referring physician!

In most cases, you may eat normally and take your normal medications before an MRI. For the test, you need to change into a gown and remove any items that might interfere with the scan, including hearing aids, dentures, wigs, hairpins, and jewelry. If you have any special preparation instructions specific to your exam, a member of the staff tells you when you schedule your test.

If your MRI requires IV or oral contrast, please read carefully below.

Allergies: If you have a gadolinium allergy or have had a reaction to MRI contrast material in the past or are suffering from any kidney disease then you should notify our office when you are making the appointment, and also at the time of the scan during the on-site questionnaire provided by the technician. Please note that IV and oral contrast are not the same substance, and an allergy to an IV contrast does not prevent you from drinking oral contrast.

Labs: If your MRI requires IV contrast, we will need you to provide a kidney function test called the “GFR” level within 45 days of your exam. If your GFR is 30 or below, you would not be eligible for a contrast-enhanced scan, but you may be able to get a non- contrast scan depending on your clinical situation.

Medications: If you are taking a diabetic medication called Glucophage, please alert us at the time of your appointment, as this medicine needs to be withheld for 2 days after you receive IV contrast material to avoid kidney problems. Otherwise, please take all your medications normally.

Fasting and Oral Contrast: Most MRI scans do not require fasting. However, certain MRIs may require you to drink oral contrast, some of which you may need to pick up and consume up to 24 hours prior to your appointment. Oral contrast may be combined with the IV contrast mentioned above to enhance the image quality.

Pregnancy: Please inform our office and technologist if you know or think that you are pregnant. Although MRI poses no known direct risk to a fetus, we generally avoid giving contrast to women who are pregnant to avoid dosing the fetus. Please discuss this with your referring physician.

After your test, the images generated can be printed, copied to a CD, transmitted electronically, or examined on a computer monitor.

Please call our office before your appointment if any of 
the following apply: 

* Surgical Vascular Clips 
* Neurostimulators 
* Cochlear Implants 
* Silver Backed Dermal Patches 
* Breast Tissue Expander 
* Penile Implants 
* Pacemaker 
* Claustrophobia 
* Extraventricular drains (EVD)
* Aneurysm Clips 

MRI cannot be performed if you have aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, EVDs, cochlear implants or pacemakers that have not been classified as “MRI-safe.” Some of these devices may need to be programmed by your doctor before performing an MRI.

There are no dietary restrictions prior to most MRI Examinations (exceptions include MR enterography). 

Low-dose oral sedation (anxiolysis) can be provided for severe claustrophobia.

Music is available during the examination.

Are there risks?

MRI scans do not use ionizing radiation (x-rays) and is often considered a gold standard for use in children and young adults. However, if you have metal in your body, MRI scans may pose a safety hazard. Certain tattoo inks may also interact with the magnets used during an MRI.

An MRI scan isn’t appropriate for every patient. If you have any of the following, please call the office before your appointment:

  • Aneurysm clip
  • Pacemaker
  • Penile implants
  • Breast tissue expander
  • Silver backed dermal patches
  • IVC filter
  • Cochlear implants
  • Neurostimulators
  • Surgical vascular clips

If you are claustrophobic, let the office know before your scheduled test. For your comfort, Excel Medical Imaging offers music during the examination.

How does the procedure work?

The procedure is considered a non-invasive, same day procedure.

During the MRI scan, you will be asked to rest motionless on a padded table for about 20-60 minutes. You may be asked to temporarily hold or slow your breathing during some parts of the scan. The table moves gently as the images are obtained.

If receiving oral contrast, you may be asked to drink oral contrast the night before, and also a second dose shortly before the test.

If receiving IV contrast, the technician will place an IV shortly before the procedure. The IV reaction itself feels warm as it goes through your arm.

After the procedure, most patients have no discomfort and can be discharged immediately.

Your results are normally interpreted within 2-4 business days by our specialty trained radiologist physicians and submitted to your referring physician automatically. If you would like a copy, you may opt to pick up your reports in person, or view them through our online patient portal. If picking up in person, please call ahead to make sure your reports are complete before coming on-site. Also, please be kind to your referring provider and allow them a few business days to review the results we provide before contacting them.

Why choose Excel for an MRI/OPEN MRI

At Excel, we are pleased to say that we have consolidated our imaging into one super- center. Unlike many of other of our competitors, we offer full radiology coverage at a single site to include X-ray, Ultrasound, Mammography, Nuclear Medicine, CT, MRI, PET/CT, and Interventional Radiology.

What does this mean to you?

It means that unlike other centers, you only need to go to one location to receive virtually all of your diagnostic imaging – we are a “One-stop shop.”

Medical conditions often involve multiple different organs and can have complexities that affect multiple body parts. Having your imaging split between multiple centers makes it difficult (if not impossible) for physicians to understand the full picture of your body and your illness.

It means that unlike other centers, your images and studies are interpreted by a small group of radiologists that know and consult with one another. Your study and images are not split up between dozens or hundreds of radiologists.

Having your all your imaging performed in one center, also limits the total number of radiologists assigned to your case. We avoid the scenarios that other larger corporations have where they have 50-100 radiologists assigned to any one patient, resulting in a different set of eyes and conflicts of opinion for every single study or organ. Basically, the larger organizations suffer from having “too many cooks in the kitchen.” At Excel, in general, less than 3 radiologists are assigned to any one patient, and all of them communicate regularly with each other to improve and discuss your care. Giving you and your referring physician the complete picture of you, is our primary job, and something we Excel at (pun intended).

It means that your medical images are readily available for an Interventional Radiologist (IR) to treat your conditions.

We are incredibly proud to have partnered with our sister company, Emergency and Interventional Specialists, to provide micro-invasive techniques. If your imaging shows an abnormality that can be treated in a micro-invasive way, your Interventional Radiologist (IR) has complete and ready access to the images to plan the intervention – sometimes without even needing to perform a separate consult!

We can then use the high-quality images from CT, ultrasound, and X-rays to guide our hands while we perform the procedure. These techniques can be applied to more than 90% of patients who need a biopsy or other minimally invasive procedure. This means that you no longer need to go to a hospital to get an invasive surgery or procedure to get these done. Surgical risks, recovery time, and intraprocedural pain are significantly reduced (our risks of major complications is less than 1%, and are below the national average for many biopsies). Most of our patients say that having a procedure done at Excel is even easier than going to their dentist for a filling.

Additionally, costs of procedures are drastically reduced since most procedures do not require sedation, or prolonged post-procedural overnight observation. Our costs are so low, that many patients opt to self-pay for their procedure, since our rates are often lower than their deductible payments through insurance (especially if the insurance plan does not have outpatient reimbursement for the procedure). Imagine turning a $10,000 procedure previously performed in a hospital, into a $500 procedure that has lower risk and recovery time. This isn’t just your imagination, it’s what we do at Excel – everyday.

It means we have open lines of communication with your referring physician to make your care more efficient, safe, and accurate.

Radiologists are physicians that are often called a “physician’s physician.” We help your referring doctors put together the story, combining the clinical scenario with what your medical imaging shows to find the best course of action. Being smaller and non- corporate, your doctor may even have our radiologists’ cellphones on their speed dial!

Contrast this with the larger corporations, who have a revolving door of dozens to hundreds of radiologists, multiple call centers, and layers of administration. Your referring physician may struggle to even speak with a radiology assistant, much less the radiologists themselves. This slows down and can complicate your diagnosis and downstream care.

Connecting to your physician, and finding the root cause of your medical illness, is what we Excel at.

Last but not least…

We are the only independent, family owned, free-standing, full-service, and fully outpatient, diagnostic and interventional radiology center in New Port Richey. We are one of the few combined diagnostic and interventional practices in the Tampa Bay Area and Gulf Coast. Even on a national level, there are only a few dozen practices like ours across the United States. And to top it all off, we are a small business.

Choosing us for your care helps us support our local community in many ways, from being involved with local charities to funding after school programs among others. We are proud of what we are and what we represent, and aim to bring you the best of our services everyday.

MRI Video Example

Cross sectional image on a Pelvic MRI showing large dark benign fibroids (measured) within the uterus.

Sagittal (side) view of the cervical spine scrolling through multiple slices on an Open MRI revealing exquisite detail of the cervical cord and disc bulges.