Call Back For MRI

I mean when you have an MRI exam and then get a call from the hospital to either repeat part of the exam or the entire study. This happens commonly because the exam is considered poor for diagnostic purposes by the radiologist. The exam is done by the technologist in MRI but may not be read by the radiology doctor until hours to days later. It is rare that the radiologist will supervise your exam in real time.

This happens fairly common when an exam has some issues with it and the radiologist thinks that the exam can be repeated to do a better job. For example, there may be some technical limitations such as an area of the body not being covered in enough detail, artifacts which don’t allow a precise diagnosis to be made, poor sequences for the question or problem posed.

Often the exam will be redone on a different machine or with more focus on the abnormality. Often times, only part of the exam will be repeated so it probably won’t take as long as the first time. In many cases, the radiologist will be called by the technologist before you leave to make sure the test is adequate.

Also, it’s important to remember that being called back does not necessarily mean that something is wrong with you. It’s not like a mammography call back. The technologist who does the MRI will often know why you are being called back. Also, the dictated report will not be available in many cases until you do the repeat test. In some cases, the repeat test may be dictated as an addendum to the original report.

If you are still worried or have questions, you can even call the radiologist in your case. They will answer any questions or concerns you may have. You can do this by calling the radiology department and telling the front desk staff your request. They will facilitate a discussion with a radiologist.