My doctor ordered a MRI but the MRI technician would not let me back any further than the changing room because I didn't have the lot number of the name of the manufacturer of the coils placed in my brain during my embolization. I called the medical records department of the hospital that I had my embolization and they said that they don't have the record of the lot number or manufacturer. My record says "two 5 cm liquid Berenstein coils." I have safely had MRIs done with 1.5 tesla MRI machine at the hospital where they did the surgery in 2003. Does anyone know how I can get this information? I have seizures since brain surgery and I need follow-up MRIs.
Hey there, Im new to this site. I feel your frustration there but can not help you with any information. Thank you for bringing this to my attention though. I am told i may get coils too so i will not make sure im aware of this for the near future. I hope you can find the information you need. Pretty slack of them to put you in this situation. All the best : )
i went through the same nightmare trying to get a MRI. I had to get a signed letter from my neurosurgeon.
My MRI provider just picked up the phone and called the hospital / doctor and asked them to send a copy of the operative reoort. I had to wait about 30 minutes extra but it wasn’t a big deal. PS I did have to sign an authorization form to release the information which was faxed during the phone call to the provider.
The doctor or hospital where the coils were done should know if the coils are MRI compatible or not regardless of the lot numbers.
Sue,
I went through a similar problem. your nurosurgion should know what type of coils he used and if they are MRI compatible. Contact his office and have them contact the MRI place.
I hope you can find out. I have never had an MRI because i had the AVM Craniotomy when i was 9 years old, about 56 years ago. I have vascular clips in my brain, and there was no record of what ther were made of. I have always had to get CTs with contrast. You, on the other hand, should know from some record what the coils are by getting in touch with the manufacturer, or insisting the previous hospital check if your records are available on minrofiche Or on computer backups. After all, there were computers then. You can also check with the State or County Health Dept., where the other hospital was located, to see how long your records were supposed to be kept. Good luck.
beans
Also I've never had this happen, I can imagine how you feel after expecting to have an MRI and being sent away. Good advise to contact your neurosurgeon for your records. Hang in there!
I've never experienced this at all and I have no idea what kind of coils are in my head although I believe they are onyx (I honestly do not know what that even means). I asked before both embos what type of coils I would get and everyone said there was no way to tell until afterward and my neurosurgeon said he was unsure what to use because I was pregnant at the time and the glue (that's what he kept calling it) had not been used on enough pregnant women to know if there were any contraindications. After both embos I asked again and literally everyone I asked said they had no idea. I've had multiple MRI's (I also have seizures now bleh) and CT scans both with and without contrast since the embos and crani and no one has ever made a big deal out of my coils.
You may have received a card or something with a serial number on it when you were discharged from the hospital to keep in your wallet. Otherwise it should be part of your medical record from the procedure date of when theyes were placed. It's in the Operative Report from that day. Not a problem. Have the MRI tech call over to the hospital and release the information of your medical file for the tech to find out from the OP report pertaining to this procedure.
Yes beansy. I too, am a long ago patient, I have never had a MRI. CT and contrast is the usual for me. My report from the hospital says nothing to the fact about, what the clips are made out of. Only 7 years ago my new G.P. said lets do an x-ray of your head. All those years it never dawned on me, Hey.... I should know this.
So we did the x-ray.. and he said. Ya, you need NOT to go into a MRI machine. I wear a medical alert bracelet with it stating . clipped AVM. / stroke. NO MRI.
This is for my safety, god - forbid I am never in a situation were I'm not alert to speak for myself.
Great discussion and good info here
I ran into this myself but my Doc was able to help. You need to look into who makes the coils as in google who manufactures 5cm Berenstein coils and then get in touch with them to get specs.
Hope this helps
Hi and I really hope you get the info you need, I had an MRI done when I still have one staple in my head, I complained to the nurse when I returned from the procedure that my head was way more sore than when I went down and said I felt a lumpy thing in the back of my head away from my wound and she found a few stitches and a staple (Anchor point staple ?) they then tried to cover up the mistake by saying that it was a CT scan and not an MRI ... but I clearly remember asking the nurse before I went in about the lump and saying maybe they missed something. :( , But I got over it and it wasn't too bad.
Hi Sue, You can go to the manufacture website and find region sales person. Talk with the sales person about when and which hospital and doctor did the surgery to you. The sales person may have the products information. Good luck!
Rancher, I have had xrays which show the vascular clips. They look like ace bandage clips. I once had some doctor get angry because I could not get an MRI. i have been told that in an emergency an xray would be done first before an MRI, but I definitely have no confidence in that. I also have a bracelet. I wrote you a long response to one of your recent discussions about AVMs that happened years ago. Just as I was done, everything I wrote disappeared, I got frustrated, and gave up.
beans
Liquid Berenstein coils are pure platinum. They are completely MRI compatible. I'm not sure if they are available anymore, but I use to work with the inventor, Doctor Berenstein, and I am 100% sure they are MRI safe.
P Burrows M.D.
Thank-you. It is good to hear this from an expert. Are Berenstein coils safe in a 3 telsa MRI scanner? The MRI center keeps saying that I had a MRI in the past on a 1.5 telsa but they won't allow me in their scanner which is a 3 telsa. They say that the it is "conditional" based on the MRI safety list. I still haven't received my MRI which was ordered over 2 weeks ago. I'm working really hard with the medical records department who does not seem to have the lot number of the coils.
Hello M.D. Milwaukee, very nice to have you here. Thank you for keeping an eye on some of the questions asked here :) Colleen
Wow, ditto. I had this same exact situation. My brain surgeon and radiologist got into an audible argument about it over the phone. In any case, I've had MRIs since with no problems. I don't know the answer to your question, but that's my scoop