• PREGNANCY: THIS EXAM CANNOT BE PERFORMED ON PREGNANT WOMEN!
• Previous surgery on the lower back with internal fixation: wires, screws, Harrington rods, spine cages, etc.
• Previous hip fracture with or without internal fixation screws or pins or previous hip replacement surgery.

• Do not eat or drink anything except water beginning four hours before your exam. It is preferable that you are well hydrated for the exam, so we encourage you to drink up to 24 ounces of water from 4 hours up until one hour prior to your exam.
• If you take medication, use water to swallow it.
• If you have been advised not to take your medication on an empty stomach, you may eat a few soda crackers within that four hour period.
• Wear comfortable clothing, preferably including pants that are completely free of all metal, with a drawstring or elastic waistband. You will be asked to remove your top and your bra and put on a gown. If you do not have metal-free pants, we will provide some for you.

• Brain/Posterior Fossa/Chest/IAC/Neck (Soft Tissues):
  Do not eat 4 hours prior to the exam. We encourage you to be well hydrated and want you to drink clear liquids up to 2 hours before the exam.
• Abdomen/Pelvis:
  Pick up a preparation kit at our office the afternoon before your study.
• Sinus:
  No special preparation necessary.

• Because the strong magnetic field used for MRI will pull on any metal object implanted in your body, the MRI staff will ask whether you have a prosthetic hip, heart pacemaker (or artificial heart valve), implanted port (brand names Port-o-Cath, Infusaport, Lifeport), intrauterine device (IUD), or any metal plates, pins, screws, or surgical staples in your body. In most cases, surgical staples, plates, pins and screws pose no risk during MRI if they have been in place for more than 4-6 weeks.
• Tattoos and permanent eyeliner may also create a problem. You will be asked if you have ever had bullets or shrapnel in your body, or ever worked with metal. If there is any question of metal fragments in your body (especially in the eye), you may be asked to have an x-ray that will detect any such objects. Tooth fillings usually are not affected by the magnetic field, but they may distort images of the facial area or brain, so the radiologist should be aware of them. The same is true of braces, which may make it hard to "tune" the MRI unit to your body. You will be asked to remove anything that might degrade MRI images of the head, including hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any removable dental work.
• If you are breastfeeding or if you think you may be pregnant, please call our office.
• The radiologist or technologist may ask about drug allergies and whether you have had any sort of head surgery.

• Brain/Orbits/Sinuses:
  Do not wear eye makeup.
• Abdomen/Pelvis:
  Do not eat 4 hours prior to the exam. You may drink clear liquids up to 2 hours before your exam. Medications may be taken with a small amount of water.
• All Other MRI:
  If IV contrast has been ordered by your physician, do not eat 4 hours prior to the exam. You may drink clear liquids up to 2 hours before the exam.
  
  If you expect to be sedated, do not eat 4 hours prior to the exam. You may drink clear liquids up to 2 hours before the exam.

• If you are concerned that you are claustrophobic, please contact us.
• If you are a female of childbearing years, you must have a blood pregnancy test, and we must have the results in your chart.
• Do not exercise 24 hours prior to your exam.
• If you have been given a contrast agent for your bowel, follow those instructions.
• If you are breast-feeding, you will not be able to nurse your child for 24 hours following the exam. Plan accordingly.

• Wear warm, comfortable metal-free clothing.
• Bring the remaining contrast to your appointment.
• Empty catheter and/or colostomy bag(s) prior to arriving at the Center.
• Bring films and reports from any previous diagnostic imaging procedure (CT, MRI, PET) not performed at our facility.
• Be on time. Due to the short half-life of the radioisotope, being late for your appointment can compromise your exam.
• Family members may accompany you to the Center, but for radiation safety reasons must remain in the waiting room during the exam.
• If you feel feverish, let the technologist know.
• For 6-8 hours after the exam avoid pregnant women and children.
• You do not need to use special precautions with body fluids after your PET scan.

Pelvic/Obstetric:

Abdomen/Gallbladder: