MR of the forearm
Anatomy of the forearm (forearm bones)
The forearm is a part of the upper limb and is located between the elbow joint and the wrist. It can be distinguished by two areas, which are the anterior forearm area and the posterior forearm area, while the bony part of this area is:
- Radius bone
- Elbow bone
In the upper part of the forearm is the ulnar fossa, through which structures pass from the arm to the forearm (except for the ulnar nerve running on the other side of the elbow joint).
In the lower part of the forearm is the carpal canal, through which structures from the forearm pass to the hand – the main exception being the radial artery, which passes on the posterior surface of the wrist.
The forearm allows movement, more precisely rotational movements that cause the hand to turn and recur.
Indications for magnetic resonance imaging of the forearm
- Inflammatory processes of bone and periosteal soft tissues,
- rheumatoid processes,
- Benign and malignant tumors,
- Pre- and post-operative evaluation,
- Assessment of lesions and post-traumatic complications,
- bone necroses
- nerve and vascular injuries
- degenerative bone processes
- Bone injuries and fractures, including fatigue fractures
What are the contraindications to an MRI of the forearm?
Absolute contraindications to MRI include any electronic devices implanted in the patient’s body, such as:
- pacemakers, defibrillators or cardiac pacemakers
- insulin pumps
- neurostimulators
- Hearing prostheses, intracochlear implants
- Any ferromagnetic prosthesis (old type), metal bullets after being shot, metal filings (especially in the eye) and other metals placed in the body.
- Dental implants, retainers or even fixed braces are not a contraindication to the test.
- Currently, a large number of implants are not a contraindication to examination in the high electromagnetic field found in MRI, because they are created from alloys of materials that do not show ferromagnetic properties, such as titanium.
- A special contraindication is the patient’s pregnancy, especially the first trimester! Patients during pregnancy are strongly discouraged from having an MRI unless the mother’s life is at risk and the test cannot be postponed.
Course of the MR examination of the forearm
On the day of the examination, you must appear half an hour before your appointment to complete the questionnaire. We ask that each patient bring all medical records pertaining to the area being examined, i.e. previous descriptions and records of imaging studies, hospital discharges, appointment cards, etc.
No special preparation is needed for the examination without the use of a contrast agent, while if contrast will be administered, you should take with you in addition a current (preferably no older than 2 weeks) creatinine and eGFR result, as well as be fasting 5 hours before the examination (you can drink water).
Magnetic resonance imaging of the forearm takes from 45 minutes to one hour (for examinations with contrast). During the examination, you should lie as still as possible, in particular, you cannot move the examined forearm.
The MRI makes loud noises during the test, but the patient is always given earplugs or headphones to muffle the noise.