MRI of the hand. Price, which shows how it is carried out, indications, preparation

An MRI of the hand is a medical examination which allows you to determine the presence of various disorders in the soft tissues and bones of the upper extremities. The procedure is highly informative and has a reasonable price.

Indications for research

There are certain indications for the procedure. However, the main sign when it is necessary to consult a specialist is pain in the hand of an unclear origin.

Indications:

• preoperative diagnostics;
• ineffectiveness of previous therapy;
• muscle damage, injury;
• suspicion of the development of tumor-like processes;
• the presence of restrictions on other methods of examination;
• squeezing or other damage to nerve tissues and fibers;
• inflammatory diseases;
• joint damage.

To prescribe a study, you must first contact your local therapist or surgeon. The radiologist performs the procedure and deciphers the data obtained.

What problems does the diagnosis reveal:

• hereditary anomalies in the structure of bones or joints in the limbs;
• injuries and injuries - sprains, tendon or ligament ruptures, fractures;
• violation of blood circulation in the problem area;
• Kienbeck's syndrome;
• the presence of neoplasms, including malignant forms of tumors;
• inflammatory diseases of the joints - arthritis, osteoarthritis.

Depending on the established disease, a surgeon, neuropathologist, therapist, infectious disease specialist can deal with treatment.

Preparation for analysis

MRI of the hand (the cost of the procedure can be significantly increased in cases where a contrast agent is used) you can go through both a private medical institution and in a polyclinic located at the place of residence. Before conducting the examination, it is necessary to carefully prepare, which will help to obtain reliable and correct data on the patient's health.

No special preparatory measures are required. However, in cases of using a contrast agent, some recommendations must be followed.

General rules:

• First, you should make sure that there are no contraindications to the procedure. To do this, you should consult with a specialist and, if necessary, undergo other additional studies.
• Choice of clothes. It should not have various fasteners, buttons or metal inserts, since the device is a source of magnetic radiation. It is recommended to choose light clothes without fasteners, buttons.
• Before the procedure, you must remove various jewelry from yourself - earrings, bracelets, chains, since these items can interfere with the study.
• Several before the diagnosis, it is necessary to stop taking any medications, including antibacterial or pain relievers. Medication can reduce the effectiveness of the procedure and display incorrect data.
• The day before the procedure, you should give up bad habits - smoking, coffee, alcoholic beverages. These funds can affect the vascular system and lead to unreliable results.
• When using a contrast agent 7-12 hours before the diagnosis, it is recommended to follow a diet. The last supper should be the night before. It is better to refrain from eating in the morning, since the components contained in the contrast agent can provoke nausea and vomiting.
• For 3 hours it is necessary to stop drinking liquids so that puffiness does not form, which can cause difficulty in decoding.

It should be borne in mind that the examination is performed using various sedatives. In some cases, in childhood, sedatives or anesthesia may be used. However, before this, a mandatory consultation and check with an anesthesiologist is required.

You also need to pay attention to contraindications:

• period of pregnancy;
• children under 7 years of age;
• the presence of metal objects in the body - pacemakers, prostheses, crowns, pins, piercings;
• mental disorders;
• claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces and rooms;
• uncontrolled movements of various parts of the body (hyperkinesis);
• non-transportability of the patient;
• when using a contrast agent - allergic reactions;
• heart and renal failure, proceeding in severe form.

Before the diagnosis, a mandatory consultation with several specialists is required, including an allergist (in the case of using a contrast agent).

Analysis

MRI of the hand (the price of diagnostics in regional centers can be several times lower than in Moscow and the Moscow region) should be performed only an experienced and well-trained specialist, as otherwise the results may be incorrect or incorrect decrypted.

The procedure does not require significant efforts on the part of specialists. However, all actions must be carried out in accordance with the existing regulations and rules for performing such procedures. Before starting work, a specialist must check the operability and serviceability of the device by connecting it to the network. Immediately before work, the radiologist should treat the hands with an antiseptic.

How is it done:

• Allergy test. A preliminary test is carried out for the presence of allergic reactions. To do this, a specialist injects a small amount of contrast agent subcutaneously and monitors the reaction. In the absence of any manifestations, proceed to further actions.
  
• After that, the patient is placed on a special retractable platform - part of the MRI machine. When examining other parts of the body, the platform is placed in a special circle. During the check of the hands, the patient remains outside the circle.
• Then the arms and legs are fixed with special straps to the table surface. This is necessary in order to exclude any body movements that can degrade the quality of the picture transmitted to the monitor.
• The introduction of a contrast agent is carried out, if necessary, through a special catheter. The information content of the study, as well as its duration, increases significantly.
• After that, a special ring is applied to the problem area (hand), which periodically rotates during the study, emitting a faint crackle. The nature of the soundtrack of the study is also a factor that helps to determine the presence of violations.
  
• Then the specialist turns on the device, which automatically scans the problem area and transmits a digital image to the computer monitor.
• At the end of the study, the device turns off, and the protective straps are removed. If necessary, after the end of the examination, the patient should measure the pressure and check his general well-being.

At this stage, the diagnostics are completed. The patient needs to wait for the results. The decryption usually takes several days. It will be possible to get specific information and find out the diagnosis from a therapist or specialist who sent it for research.

After the diagnosis, the radiologist records the data obtained and transfers them to the patient's attending physician for further decoding. After the end of the procedure, the patient can immediately return to their normal and work activities. However, it should be borne in mind that the contrast agent is excreted from the body over the next 18-24 hours.

Decoding the results

MRI requires competent and thorough interpretation by an experienced specialist. It is possible to determine the condition and identify violations in the hands only after a complete decryption of the data. At the same time, the duration of the process and the cost of the procedure depend only on the medical center where the study is carried out.

For decoding the results, you should contact the doctor who prescribed the procedure. You can also familiarize yourself with the results yourself and try to decipher them taking into account the accepted norms and algorithm.

Pathology	Meaning / Description
Abscess	It is characterized by the accumulation of purulent fluid in the tissues. In the picture, this pathology has a limited outline.
Artery aneurysm	The disorder is an enlargement of the lumen of an artery where blood clots can be detected.
Degenerative changes	Deterioration of the condition of joints, bones and tissues.
Innervation	This indicator allows you to determine the connection of nerve endings or fibers with the nervous system.

When evaluating indicators, external signs and symptoms of diseases are also taken into account. Only on the basis of all the data can a correct diagnosis be made.

Bone condition

Thanks to the 3D digital image, the condition of the bones can be determined. For this, their anatomical features should be assessed - location, integrity, degree of connectivity, structure and density. Normal values ​​are when all bones have a homogeneous structure. In this case, the image should be free of any darkening in the white areas (bone locations).

In cases where only one hand is injured or subject to pathological changes, it is recommended undergo additional studies (X-ray), which will help to compare and better understand what are available violations.

Localization

MRI of the hand (the cost of the study is affordable for the majority of the population) makes it possible to assess the majority of bones, blood vessels, arteries and soft tissues at deep levels. At the same time, diagnostics is one of the most effective and provides more reliable and detailed information in comparison with ultrasound or X-ray.

By the location of the focus of the pathological process, it is possible to determine which structures were affected, as well as the degree of involvement of neighboring nearby tissues, vessels, bones. In case of damage to the bones located near the vessels and nerve trunks, adjacent areas and the state of soft tissues are assessed. This allows you to detect the problem at the early stages of its development, assess the state of nerve fibers and the degree of growth of scar and bone tissue.

Based on the data obtained, it is possible to choose the most optimal therapy option, including surgical interventions. or physiotherapy, since knowledge of the specific location of the violation allows you to act on problem. Thanks to this, the effectiveness of the treatment is increased several times.

Size, shape

Also, during decoding, the shape and size of the pathological process is taken into account. According to this factor, it is possible to determine the degree of damage, which makes it possible to assess the extent of the damage and the involvement of adjacent tissues. The choice of treatment - medical or surgical - depends on this factor.

The shape and size of the lesion can also tell about the rate at which the disease progresses. The type of disorder (benign, malignant) can be found out with the use of a contrast agent, which also affects further therapeutic methods.

Shade

The degree of staining of the problem area is also taken into account when making a diagnosis. At the same time, the contrast agent allows you to better study the clinical picture.

Bone structures should not be darkened or have any inclusions. In the presence of a dark color in the bones, we can confidently talk about various disorders and diseases of the bones in the hands.

Type of defeat

MRI of the hand (the price of the procedure depends on the medical institution in which the study is carried out) is performed in order to detect a problem or in the preoperative period as recommended by a doctor. However, for any uncomfortable or painful sensations in the area of ​​the hands, you can go through the diagnosis yourself.

Digital 3D images captured during the examination help to detect fractures of the bones of the wrist, phalanges of the fingers, as well as the degree of their displacement. This takes into account possible disorders in the spinal nerve fibers.

Assessment of indicators and possible deviations:

• Injuries and injuries to the wrist and fingers - fractures, dislocations. In the presence of injuries, diagnosis allows you to determine the degree of their severity. During the decoding, the problem area is assessed, as well as the nearby blood vessels. If vascular ruptures are found on the images, the patient needs immediate surgical intervention, since in this case we can talk about preserving the limb. It is also possible to determine the presence of violations of the integrity of structures by the emitted signal coming from the MRI machine. A high intensity of the audio signal indicates various anomalies caused by damage.
• Vascular condition. In addition to damage, the vascular system can undergo various other pathological processes. The most common cause of vascular damage is atherosclerosis. MRI allows you to establish the nature of the origin of the disorder and prescribe an appropriate treatment.
• Synovial membrane. With damage to the synovium, pathological processes can develop in the area of ​​bones and articular cartilage. It is possible to study the state of the synovial membrane after the administration of a contrast agent. Under normal conditions, its thickness should be 1 mm. In this case, the assessment is based on a point system from 0 to 3.
• Bone erosion. When decoding this indicator, bone structures are assessed. If there is a deviation, a well-defined area is visible on the image where bone loss has occurred. In this case, each bone is assessed separately on a scale from 0 to 10.
• Bone marrow edema. Pathology can be a precursor to bone erosion. It has a subchondral or central location. In this case, the puffiness has indistinct outer contour outlines. The degree of impairment is assessed on a scale from 0 to 3 points.
• Tenosynovitis. This disorder develops against the background of inflammatory processes occurring in the area of ​​the tendon sheath synovium. In the images, it is defined as the accumulation of liquid in the specified area.
• Psoriatic arthritis (syndrome of "sausage" fingers). On the images, the disease is displayed in the form of swelling in the area of ​​soft tissues and expansion of the joint space. With pronounced manifestations, the surface of the cartilage and articular ends undergoes degenerative changes.
  
• Axial arthritis. Manifestations in the picture: the presence of edema in the bone marrow and surrounding tissues, slight stretching intra-articular bursa (accumulation of fluid in this area), the formation of fluid in the area of ​​the tendon vagina.
• Gouty arthritis. In pathology, the deposition and accumulation of various crystalline compounds occurs in the area of ​​intra-articular and periarticular structures. In this case, damage to the small joints of the bones occurs. Ultimately, this can lead to the development of erosion.
• De Quervain's disease. The disease is characterized by the formation of swelling in the soft tissue area, the accumulation of fluid in the tendon sheath, and thickening of the synovial membrane and tendons.
• Crane Syndrome. The process is inflammation of the joints and degenerative changes in the cartilage tissue. In this case, cysts can form inside the bone structures.

It is rather difficult to independently decipher the data obtained as a result of MRI, therefore it is recommended to trust this process to an experienced and qualified specialist who can make an accurate diagnosis and appoint a suitable treatment. At the same time, the examination of the hands is recommended only in specialized medical institutions. You can find out the exact cost of the procedure at the clinic where the diagnostics will be performed.

Video about conducting an MRI of the hand

Lecture "MRI of the wrist joint":