Health · Healthcare & Policy · 8 hrs ago
Nafisa Ali’s MRI experience highlights why scanners make loud sounds
Actor Nafisa Ali shared that her MRI scan was noisy as she waited for the results.
An MRI uses powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to create images of organs and other structures inside the body.
Vibrating gradient coils produce the scanner’s sounds as electrical currents change the magnetic field.
Patients may hear tapping, knocking, buzzing or beeping, and the sounds can shift during a scan.
Some machines and imaging sequences are louder than others, depending on factors such as magnet strength and the technique used.
Newer technology can make some scans quieter by softening changes in the magnetic field.
Actor Nafisa Ali shared an Instagram post about her MRI appointment, describing the scan as noisy.
MRI scanners make sound when components called gradient coils vibrate as electrical currents switch on and off in the magnetic field.
The sounds can include knocking, thumping, tapping, buzzing and beeping.
Noise levels can vary with the scanner design, magnetic field strength and imaging technique.
Some newer MRI machines use technology designed to make certain scans quieter.
- Who
- Actor Nafisa Ali shared her MRI experience. Radiologists Dr Madhu Prashanth D and Dr Shubham Sulania explained the sounds.
- What
- Ali described her MRI as noisy. The article explains why MRI scanners make sounds and why noise levels vary.
- When
- Ali said she had her MRI “today”; the article does not give the date of her appointment.
- Where
- Bengaluru is the location of Sakra World Hospital, where Dr Prashanth works. Ali’s scan location is not stated.
- Why
- MRI components called gradient coils vibrate as electrical currents switch on and off in a powerful magnetic field.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Nafisa Ali had an MRI appointment and shared a picture and description of the scan with her Instagram followers.
Indian Express published an article explaining why MRI scanners make noise.
- Person
- Nafisa Ali
- Scan
- MRI
- Coil name
- Gradient coils
- Magnetic field comparison
- 3-Tesla and 1.5-Tesla machines
- Hospital
- Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru
What people are saying
Me doing my MRI today, awaiting the results …but the room looks festive. MRIs are really noisy…!
MRI scans are noisy because the machine’s internal metal coils rapidly vibrate when high-voltage electrical currents switch on and off inside a powerful magnetic field. These vibrations create loud mechanical sound waves that echo inside the hollow scanner tunnel
These sounds should be explained to the patients beforehand so that they know what to expect and do not mistake them as a sign of something being wrong