MRI
Diagnostic TestThe examination lasts between 45 minutes and one hour. The patient lies down in the MRI tube. He is fitted with headphones that muffle the noise produced by the machine and enable him to receive instructions from the technician. Four electrodes are applied to his chest to continuously record his heartbeat. Finally, his chest is covered with a plastic plate, which receives the MRI signals needed to form the image. Acquiring an MRI image takes between 2 and 20 seconds. To ensure that image quality is not impaired by respiratory movements, images are acquired in apnea. The technician will ask the patient to hold his or her breath repeatedly throughout the examination. These apneas must last less than 15 seconds.