GE Silent Scan MRI

[Gio Makyo]

Has anyone had an MRI using the new GE silent scan technology?

It's supposed to be only about 3 dB louder then whatever the ambient room noise level is.

That seems hard to believe, given that most MRI scanners are around 100 dB or more.

If anyone has had one of the scans please report how it went.

 

[Sound Wave]

I had a normal MRI recently and had no problems at all wearing earplugs + ear protectors. It was just mainly dull as hell to lie there for 20-30 minutes. It gets hot btw at the end.

 

[Gio Makyo]

I can't use your plugs or earmuffs due to extreme air pain from hyperacusis. That's why I'm looking for the quietest MRI possible.

 

[erik]

I have used both. It is much quieter and less invasive (no long white tube). However as Sound Wave said, I just wore ear plugs and relaxed. I do prefer the newer MRI machines. I think eventually they will all be this way.

 

[Bobby B]

just had my first 3 T MRI - 20 minutes of scanning time total about an hour inside the machine

Although it wasn't really quiet it also was okay with good earplugs.

Maybe loud like riding an old subway train..not exactly quiet but again not acoustic-trauma loud like shooting ranges/nightclubs etc..

Mostly low frequency sounds with a series of mid frequency beeps at the end. Overall good experience

I was in the latest state of the art Toshiba Vantage Galan 3T machine which is supposed to be the quietest in its class at the moment.

Its also wider inside

The GE silent scan is only using the software to reduce noise but only in some scans such as head - for deep thorax scans they use full power and its not going to be silent at all according to the operators I spoke to.

Look for hospitals using any of the Toshiba Vantage line, those are the quietest MRI devices.

for 3 T you cannot use earmuffs even in plastic as it creates image noise in the scans, we tried with some muffs and a rubber band I put together around my head, using peltor x5a muffs detached from the metallic head band.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I have used both. It is much quieter and less invasive (no long white tube). However as Sound Wave said, I just wore ear plugs and relaxed. I do prefer the newer MRI machines. I think eventually they will all be this way.

Was it an open MRI machine? That is not the same as a silent scan. I've had a GE silent scan and it still involved a long tube.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I've had two MRIs with GE Silent Scan machines and they had to be repeated with a regular MRI machine because the quality was lacking. A large spot that I've had on my brain did not appear with the silent scan, but it was still very much there and it was important that my doctors monitored it.

As @Bobby B said, some particular scan sequences will be a similar volume regardless of what machine is used.

I cannot remember what the regular MRI machine was, but it was relatively new. The MRI techs gave me earplugs, earmuffs, and put huge foam cushions around my head. I could barely hear the techs when they shouted. With that much ear protection, it sounded as quiet (maybe even quieter) than the silent scan machine.

Oh and if you do the silent scan, still where ear plugs. It's really not that quiet.

 

[Jack Straw]

Seeing that a lot of us need to get MRIs and many people complain about getting spikes or it being too loud there seems to be an alternative.

I don't know if many people know about this, but I thought I would post this here. GE has created a "silent" MRI that has been on the market since 2013 and is now more prevalent in more city areas. Apparently an average MRI is 108 dB and this new type of MRI is 77 dB. This is SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than other MRIs and with additional hearing protection there should be next to zero risk with acoustic trauma with these machines.

https://www3.gehealthcareturkiye.co.../silent scan/gehc-brochure-mr-silent-scan.pdf

I suggest you all look around for something like this if you need an MRI. The extra travel to have it done in these might be worth it.

 

[Jack Straw]

I've had two MRIs with GE Silent Scan machines and they had to be repeated with a regular MRI machine because the quality was lacking. A large spot that I've had on my brain did not appear with the silent scan, but it was still very much there and it was important that my doctors monitored it.

As @Bobby B said, some particular scan sequences will be a similar volume regardless of what machine is used.

I cannot remember what the regular MRI machine was, but it was relatively new. The MRI techs gave me earplugs, earmuffs, and put huge foam cushions around my head. I could barely hear the techs when they shouted. With that much ear protection, it sounded as quiet (maybe even quieter) than the silent scan machine.

Oh and if you do the silent scan, still where ear plugs. It's really not that quiet.

For the "silent" MRI do they let you wear headphone protection or just ear plugs?

 

[Tinker Bell]

For the "silent" MRI do they let you wear headphone protection or just ear plugs?

I wore earplugs as well as foam pads around my head, due to the MRI being a brain scan. It was quieter, but brain scans tend to be louder than most body scans. Open MRIs can be pretty quiet, too, but their quality isn't the best.

 

[dpdx]

I wore earplugs as well as foam pads around my head, due to the MRI being a brain scan. It was quieter, but brain scans tend to be louder than most body scans. Open MRIs can be pretty quiet, too, but their quality isn't the best.

Refrain from using contrast. I heard its toxic.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Refrain from using contrast. I heard its toxic.

Every MRI that I have had was with contrast. I had no toxic reaction. However if you are allergic to it, it's possible to have an anaphylactic reaction.

Contrast was necessary for the MRA that I had, and provides better imaging. I figured if I was going to endure the noise, I wanted my doctors to have the best imaging results.

 

[dpdx]

Every MRI that I have had was with contrast. I had no toxic reaction. However if you are allergic to it, it's possible to have an anaphylactic reaction.

I heard gadolinium is very toxic and small traces of it get stored in the brain.

 

[Jack Straw]

I wore earplugs as well as foam pads around my head, due to the MRI being a brain scan. It was quieter, but brain scans tend to be louder than most body scans. Open MRIs can be pretty quiet, too, but their quality isn't the best.

So you don't think the brain MRI was very quiet compared to a regular one?

 

[Jack Straw]

I heard gadolinium is very toxic and small traces of it get stored in the brain.

ototoxic or just toxic in general?

 

[dpdx]

ototoxic or just toxic in general?

its toxic in general.
small amounts get stored in the organs, it is not known what the risks are but FDA says the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

[Jack Straw]

its toxic in general.
small amounts get stored in the organs, it is not known what the risks are but FDA says the benefits outweigh the risks.

If the FDA says that, then why is it still used?

 

[dpdx]

If the FDA says that, then why is it still used?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-fda-issues-tougher-mri-dye.html

 

[dpdx]

If I could go back in time I would have not done gadolinium, it was a big mistake, a huge mistake.
https://www.radiologytoday.net/archive/rt0915p1A.shtml

 

[Tinker Bell]

I heard gadolinium is very toxic and small traces of it get stored in the brain.

Define very toxic. I define very toxic as known and undoubtedly proven to cause significant harm.

With correctly functioning kidneys, it's removed from the body with 1.5 to 2 hours. Can a trace amount stay in the brain? Possibly, but there's no clear indication of any long term affect. Claims have been made, but there is actually a lack of scientific evidence proving that correlation equals causation.

https://www.itnonline.com/article/debate-over-gadolinium-mri-contrast-toxicity

When doing any medical test, it's important to weigh your known current health concern versus verified and unverified hypothetical possible side effects. For me, it was more important to know if I currently had a tumor, had suffered a stroke or had MS versus worry that a bit of contrast could stay in my brain and possibly — or possibly not do anything.

 

[dpdx]

Define very toxic. I define very toxic as known and undoubtedly proven to cause significant harm.

With correctly functioning kidneys, it's removed from the body with 1.5 to 2 hours. Can a trace amount stay in the brain? Possibly, but there's no clear indication of any long term affect. Claims have been made, but there is actually a lack of scientific evidence proving that correlation equals causation.

https://www.itnonline.com/article/debate-over-gadolinium-mri-contrast-toxicity

When doing any medical test, it's important to weigh your known current health concern versus verified and unverified hypothetical possible side effects. For me, it was more important to know if I currently had a tumor, had suffered a stroke or had MS versus worry that a bit of contrast could stay in my brain and possibly — or possibly not do anything.

Yeah but who knows if in 10 years we will have some problems with our brains because of the gadolinium. Right now we are fine but later on..….
Still too risky..

 

[Tinker Bell]

So you don't think the brain MRI was very quiet compared to a regular one?

I think it was quieter. Unfortunately, you're not really getting the full benefit of how quiet it can be with a brain scan.

 

[Kste Adams]

its toxic in general.
small amounts get stored in the organs, it is not known what the risks are but FDA says the benefits outweigh the risks.

The FDA always says that. It reflects what happens to the population as a whole - it says nothing about what happens to individuals. For some unlucky folks the risks actually outweigh the benefits, and you won't know if you're one of them until you ingest whatever it is. People who are sensitive to drugs in general should be cautious.

 

[dpdx]

The FDA always says that. It reflects what happens to the population as a whole - it says nothing about what happens to individuals. For some unlucky folks the risks actually outweigh the benefits, and you won't know if you're one of them until you ingest whatever it is. People who are sensitive to drugs in general should be cautious.

Have you done one?

 

[Jack Straw]

I think it was quieter. Unfortunately, you're not really getting the full benefit of how quiet it can be with a brain scan.

I think I am confusing myself. Can you elaborate?

 

[Kste Adams]

Have you done one?

Yes, and I refused to use the dye. I'm allergic to a number of meds (generally the stuff that's well tolerated by others - the really dangerous stuff I usually handle with no trouble).

 

[Tinker Bell]

Yeah but who knows if in 10 years we will have some problems with our brains because of the gadolinium. Right now we are fine but later on..….
Still too risky..

Actually I had an MRI more than 10 years ago. MRIs with contrast have been used in clinical practice for more than 25 years. Consider that many MS patients receive annual brain scans. Proven effects should be obvious by now with some patients, but they are not.

 

[dpdx]

Yes, and I refused to use the dye.

I did the dye and I regret it so much. This was back in December 2017, my arm swollen up and I had this red marks that appeared. I am very afraid that I have a toxic metal in my kidneys, liver, lungs, brain, and muscle tissue.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I think I am confusing myself. Can you elaborate?

I think my brain scan with the GE Silent Scan was quieter than some of the brain MRIs that I have had in the past. However, it was not as quiet as an abdominal MRI that I had in an open MRI. And the quality was not great for a brain scan, it completely missed a spot that I have had since possibly childhood.

For anyone needing an MRI, I would consider what you need it for and decide the best machine configuration for your individual needs.

 

[Kste Adams]

Actually I had an MRI more than 10 years ago. MRIs with contrast have been used in clinical practice for more than 25 years. Consider that many MS patients receive annual brain scans. Proven effects should be obvious by now with some patients, but they are not.

Good point, although I would think that potential issues could be obscured by MS symptoms.