Antonio Dominin
Mon. 14 Aug.17,
00:03
|
| MRI Safety w VNS Lead Still In Body |
| |
Hello Everyone!rn:-)rnrnPlease forgive me in advance for making any newbie mistakes here. I am new and appreciate your kind correction of any errors that I might make.rnrnI am a patient with many, many illnesses. In 2006, I was in the deepest depths of depression and could not see any other way to treat it, other than the newly approved (then) Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) for depression.rnrnNeedless to say, it did not help at all and, after over 2 years of VNS therapy, my doctor and I agreed to turn it off. (It makes the neck muscles move when it is stimulating the vagus nerve, which can get annoying after a while.)rnrnWhen I got the VNS implanted, I was told that I would never be able to have an MRI done, except with special equipment, called a transmit & receive coil. This wasn't a problem because my hospital, Olympia Medical Center, here in Los Angeles, had one of these.rnrnHowever when they upgraded their equipment in the years following my implant, they no longer had a transmit & receive coil for the new machine, and I could not find any place in LA that did have this coil.rnrnNow, since I have so many illnesses in my life, the possibility that I will need an MRI in the future is great. Therefore, I called and spoke with the assistant of the Neurosurgeon at USC Keck Medical Center that implants VNS, and he could therefore remove the VNS.rnrnHowever, the assistant said that, while he could remove the VNS device itself, he would probably have to leave the lead to the vagus nerve in the body because of it's attachment to the nerve has probably grown in at this point.rnrnMy question is this: Will I be able to safely have MRIs in the future with this lead still in my body? At this point, I am thinking that I might have to have MRIs of my brain (Parkinson’s disease, exotropia), wrist (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), C-spine (prior to doing occipital nerve blocks). Do you have any other comments or suggestions on my situation?rnrnThank you very much for your kindest consideration of my post. I look forward to hearing back from you, and I will await your replies. rnrnBest regards,rnrn~Antonio Dominionrn:-)
|
Forum Overview
Category:
