How Long Does It Take to Prepare MRI Scan Reports?
Getting MRI results can take different amounts of time. When you have your doctor order the MRI, you can ask how long it will be to get your results. You can also ask the person who interprets the MRI results how soon you can have a copy of the MRI report.
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan can produce many very detailed pictures of your body using a magnetic field. Your doctor may order an MRI when they need to see important structures in your body like your joints, blood vessels, heart, and more.
How long the results take to get back depends on all sorts of variables. An example can be whether you got the MRI for an emergency reason. Read below to see when you might expect to find out your MRI results.
How quickly will you get results?
Different factors can affect how long it takes to get your MRI results. They include:
If you had an emergency: If you had the MRI for an emergency, you will most likely get MRI results faster than if it was scanned for a non-emergency.
Who is reading your MRI: A physician reads the MRI. Sometimes, the results of the MRI will be read by a doctor specialist, called a radiologist. The radiologist may send their report of the MRI to the doctor that ordered the MRI. Your doctor may read the MRI and draw their own conclusions and recommendations to you.
Why are you getting an MRI: If you are getting the MRI for a cancer diagnosis, staging, or assessment of care, there may be several medical specialists that need to review and comment on the MRI findings. When this is the case, getting information about your MRI will take longer.
Generally, you would expect to wait about 1-2 weeks to receive information about your MRI scan results.
What might delay the MRI scan report?
After receiving an MRI, the radiology technician will typically send the images, or provide a notification securely to the radiologist that the images are now ready to be reviewed. Some offices do have radiologists on staff to review images, but others will utilize radiologists who may not live nearby, who will read and interpret the MRI images.
Then, the radiologist will prepare a report of their findings. If emergent findings are present, they will communicate with the doctor or facility responsible for taking care of the patient. If it does not appear there are any emergency findings, they will send the report to the requesting doctor.
Your MRI will be sent along to the physician that requested it and they will take a look at the images as well. Your doctor will determine if they will agree or disagree with the conclusions of the radiologist; and they may also seek a second opinion from another specialty physician.
Your doctor will explain the results of the MRI and indicate what they mean either in a phone conversation or at a follow-up visit.
In most situations, the doctor, radiologist, and other medical providers are all tied up working in busy seasons. Reading and interpreting MRI findings typically does not consume the use-provider’s time, but it doesn’t take much time.
How does it work?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging generates magnetic fields that bounce off the body to form images. The imaging process itself does not hurt, but it will be between 15 to 90 minutes depending on what the MRI is looking at.
When it is time to do the MRI, you will lie down on a flat surface shaped like a cylinder. The bed will move into and out of the tube so the MRI machine can get the images it needs. The MRI machine is incredibly noisy because of the extreme effort it takes to produce a magnetic field. You will typically get ear plugs or headphones with music to provide some relief from the noise.
Often, you will get intravenous (IV) contrast dye, which can allow your doctor to see areas that are more metabolically active in your body. The IV dye travels to many areas of the body, and this may allow your doctor to see abnormal areas (like cancerous tumors) more clearly.
Most of the time, MRIs are not done on an emergency basis, and the MRI will be done at an imaging center. Most MRIs can also be done at the hospital where you are being treated.
Where do you get your MRI scan?
The physical location where imaging is acquired can affect turnaround time for receiving your imaging results. In areas with less availability of healthcare resources and/or a higher patient to available resources ratio (i.e., less healthcare available) there may be longer delays attaining MRI scheduling. Waiting for the MRI itself may take longer depending if there is waiting time to schedule the procedure and then await the results. In locations with higher density of medical centers and expert imaging radiologists, the review and interpretation of the MRI scans may be more efficiently done and thus have faster turnaround times to get the results. Additionally, how effective the healthcare system/healthcare infrastructure operates, together with the use modern next generation imaging modalities, systems, and electronic interpersonal communications can also affect the time it takes to reach your imaging results.
How Can I Shorten the Wait For My MRI Results?
Online subspecialty second opinions will provide a route to receiving timely MRI results. If you have a wait time of weeks or days, this type of service can allow you to have your results sooner. You may get a copy of your images from the hospital or imaging center, where an employee will make you a CD containing a copy of all your images. In most cases, this may be done for you at the time you leave. You can then transfer the research images from the CD directly to the second opinion interpreter.
To ensure that you are receiving the proper interpretation for your study, ensure that you are using a service that connects you to a radiologist/subspecialty radiologist, and not a generalist. Subspecialists have been trained and experienced in the interpretation of MRI scans for the specific body part or body system that your MRI is interpreting.
After you submit your scan, your MRI results will be provided to you within 24-48 hours and you may share that report with your treatment team, such as your primary care physician or the referring doctor who made the MRI request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long does it take to prepare an MRI report?
The preparation of an MRI report usually takes 4 or 5 hours after the scanning is complete, as the radiologist will need time to carefully examine the images and document the results.
Q. When will I get my MRI results?
Most patients get their MRI results within 1 to 2 weeks, although this will depend on the facility, complexity of the scan, and radiologist’s workload.
Q. Can MRI results be expedited in urgent situations?
Yes, in urgent situations (like a possible stroke or emergencies), preliminary MRI results could be available within a few hours or by that same day.
Q. What factors could affect how quickly I get my MRI report?
There are many factors that can affect the time to prepare an MRI report including what type of scan it was, the total number of images, the radiologist’s workload, if it needs specialist review, and the urgency of the case.
Q. How will I be notified when my MRI report is ready?
Usually the radio report is sent to the referring physician and the physician will discuss the results with you. Some Imaging centers will provide patient reports through their online access.
Q. How to book an MRI scan?
You can contact carebox to book your any type of MRI scan as carebox is connected with 800+ Best diagnostics centre in Delhi, means no compromise with your health.
