Are the side effects of MRI harmful to the human body?

Is MRI harmful to our human body? Friends who have had physical examinations in recent years should be familiar with MRI. This technology is not only important in diagnosing major diseases such as cancer and tumors, but also has outstanding advantages in diagnosing some minor diseases. However, many people believe that MRI has side effects and should be done less frequently. So what is the truth?

Is MRI examination harmful to the human body?

Magnetic resonance imaging is an examination method that uses electronic computers to perform image analysis and diagnosis on human body cross-sections. It does not use X-rays but magnetic fields. Its basic principle is that the hydrogen atoms contained in the human body will resonate when given specific high waves under a strong magnetic field, generating a high-wavenumber electromagnetic wave. Nuclear magnetic resonance uses this property to collect, process and graph the changes in the magnetic field using electronic computers.

MRI can show fat, internal organs, muscles, fast-flowing blood, bones, and air, etc. The internal structure of organs can also be clearly displayed. Doctors can easily identify tumors, inflammation, necrotic lesions, abnormal substance deposits, functional obstructions, blood circulation obstructions and other lesions in the patient's body. It provides great help in the diagnosis of various diseases of the nervous system, chest, abdomen and limbs.

Since MRI is magnetic field imaging rather than X-ray and is not radioactive, it is harmless to the human body and is very safe. So far, there has been no report in the world of any harm caused by the use of MRI machines in hospitals, nor has any increase in the incidence of gene mutations or chromosomal aberrations in patients been found.

MRI side effects

The impact of strong magnetic fields with constant intensity on human health has long attracted people's attention. When the human body enters a strong magnetic field above 0.13 Tesla, the induced current generated by the blood flow in the blood vessels perpendicular to the magnetic field lines will cause changes in the electrocardiogram, such as an increase in the amplitude of the T wave and the appearance of a small spike wave. However, this does not cause any changes in physiological parameters, such as heart rate and blood pressure, nor does it lead to irregular heartbeat. These ECG changes disappear if the applied magnetic field is removed. Experiments have shown that animals' genetic factors will not be damaged in a magnetic field of 317 Tesla, and the enzyme activity of biological tissues will not be changed in a magnetic field below 20 Tesla. In addition, some manufacturers have experimented with imaging systems with a field strength of 4 Tesla. Although the images of systems with high magnetic field strength have been improved, from a clinical point of view, it does not seem to be able to detect more lesions. Therefore, some developed countries have a limit on the main magnetic field strength.