How to Get the Quietest MRI Experience?

Okay, this is the first I've heard of this. I'm aware of the "Pianissimo" in Canon/Toshiba MRI machines that reduce noise via hard ware putting coils in a vacuum chamber, etc. And then some machines additionally have "Pianissimo Zen", which is special software to help make the sequences even quieter via software.

And now I'm learning of a "mute option" for Canon Galvan?

I've got a list of places that are supposed to have Canon/Toshiba MRI machines. I'm going to call all of them to confirm, and then have them give me the model number so I can look them up and figure which model is the most quiet.

 

What was the MRI machine's make and model that you had done recently?

 

I'm needing to get an MRI of my thoracic spine ASAP because of an increase in paralysis, though I can't make my tinnitus worse as thus far no doctor has gone over my prior MRIs, and thus this new one could be a waste of time as well.

The only MRIs I can find in a two hour drive is a Canon/Toshiba Titan. Which the techs at those places say are noisy. Does anyone know of any places in Kentucky or Georgia that have Canon/Toshiba MRIs? As I'd like to see if there are any places that have a newer model that is quieter than Titan.

 

Is Canon/Toshiba the same "thing"?

 

My understanding is that Canon bought Toshiba several years ago. Though I have no idea which company came up with the hardware that put a vacuum on the coil to reduce the noise via hardware. I'm guessing it was Toshiba. I did read something about this technology of the vacuum on the coil came out I believe around 1998. Which I didn't know this technology has been around for nearly 25 years as recently is the first I heard of this technology.

If anyone else has more info, please feel free to share.

 

That would make sense, it's just confusing when you google and get two different "brand names" with the same technology and stuff. And as you know the MRI business is not very easy to navigate anyways when it comes to "silent machines" as that is not a priority for manufacturers or hospitals.

I did massive research into this topic back in 2013 when I got chronic headache and was going for a brain MRI. And sadly from what I have gathered from this thread, there seems to have been ZERO progress since then in this field.

It seems GE Healthcare's "Silent Scan" and Canon's "Pianissimo" are still the things people speak about, which makes me very sad considering it's been almost 10 years since I spoke to various MRI technicians etc.

It's insane that there is no technology this day and age to get MRI noise levels down to levels where they don't have to re-scan people because they are afraid of the noise and people getting hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis from the horse s***.

GE Healthcare's MRI technician did promise me they would be improving Silent Scan and also making it available for more sequences, but if you google GE and Silent Scan, you only get hits from 2013, so it seems like it's dead in the water.

"What matters is finding the smallest tumors and the smallest strokes, so what if a few people get their hearing wrecked in the process" - it seems that this mantra is still the case in the business!

 

My understanding from my research is you should avoid GE MRI machines because they aren't really as quiet as they have advertised. My understanding is to only stick with the Canon/Toshiba with the "Pianissimo" hardware technology. It can be confusing which Canon/Toshiba MRI machines have that technology. Though in my state, nearly everyone who has a Canon/Toshiba MRI machine, has the "Titan" version. None of them can tell me if they have the software package "Pianissimo Zen".

Which I guess is an add on, not really sure. But none of them can tell me if their MRI machines has that quiet software package, which means with that package, it should be quieter than without it. And then I see there are even more quiet software packages from Canon beyond that.

I was going to go ahead and go get a thoracic spine MRI in a Canon "Titan" MRI, until I found out that my head would be in a coil, and so MRI earmuffs may not fit. Been looking at the earplug store and see they sell child versions of MRI earmuffs that can fit adult heads if your head isn't big. So may get that. I will schedule an MRI and stop by beforehand to see if my head fits with those slim MRI earmuffs, and if not, then I guess I will just not do it. Because I don't know if just wearing earplugs and those MACK's silicone wax earhole coverings would be enough to not cause my tinnitus to get worse. I figured earplugs and earmuffs would make it safer than me just wearing earmuffs alone while mowing the yard on a riding lawnmower.

I think the noise type that makes my tinnitus worse is the loud sharp noise. Like snapping a ruler, or drilling something without hearing protection, etc. It did get a lot worse after getting a head cold for a week and then later on getting COVID-19 for a week.

 

This is the machine I landed on after needing a brain MRI. Were the earplugs tightly inserted, like you crammed them as hard as you can in the ear canal? I can't seem to get them to go all the way in for reasons related to earwax.

 

I haven't read all the responses to this thread so apologies if this has already been suggested, but I wore silicon earbuds which lowered the noise of the MRI significantly. This was a head MRI and they allowed this. Hospital was in the UK if that matters.

 

What make/model MRI did you use for your brain scan?

Maybe get some earwax remover? They've got different things out there. They have some liquid you can I guess put on a q-tip and rub in there, or maybe earwax remover drops to do days in advance? And they've got these little scrapers. I believe you can put some drops in and then use the scraper to go in and scrap out any chunks of earwax. I'd try that as yes, earwax can make earplugs want to pop out. Though the wax can aid in insertion.

I'm not sure if I'll do an MRI of my thoracic spine in a Canon Titan machine if I can't wear both earplugs and earmuffs.

Do you remember what brand you used? I had thought of regular foam earplugs as they seem to offer the highest NRR rating. They may stay in better than silicon type. And on top of that, I had also looked at having earplugs in, but then on top to put that Mack's silicon putty stuff on the outside of the ear canal. Which could also aid in keeping the earplugs in place since you can't fiddle with them once you are in the MRI.

 

It was silicon earbuds from a company called Loop. I won't put the URL as iI'mm not sure on the rules, but they are easy to find if you search. There are probably many other products like this as they are quite simple. They worked for me as I had hyperacusis which made my tinnitus very reactive to sound. I hope this helps you.

 

Do you have the number? I have been putting it off, but I will need an MRI to rule out things. It's not of the head, so at least I would be able to wear MRI safe earmuffs if allowed. Unfortunately there are zero quiet MRIs in my state, so I will likely have to travel for one. I do travel for work, so I could just do one on a work trip if I found a quiet MRI in a city I'm traveling to.

MRI tech just told me the scan they wanted to do using their machine peaks at 120 dB. That would wreck me.

 

Was this a brain MRI? I had a session with this machine and it was really, really loud. Even with foam earplugs correctly inserted in, it was nasty.

 

Can someone please help me with finding a quiet MRI? I know what MRIs are quiet, but short of calling each individual hospital I cannot get the correct information. I tried calling Canon directly and the person answering said they don't have a list of where their machines are located (bullshit), then said something that even if they did, their legal team wouldn't let them make suggestions about where to get an MRI.

I know there are none in my state, but I still travel occasionally for work and wouldn't mind getting one in a different state if I was sure it was the quietest scan possible.

 

So I take it you weren't allowed to wear earmuffs in the MRI machine for the brain scan? I'm having an issue myself, my palinacousis would wreck me, I would definitely take that noise home, and considering how loud it is, it would cause me to hear it for days. I'm just amazed that they haven't found a way to better protect patients nowadays.

I'm thinking of getting an open air MRI but don't know how accurate they need the image to be to get a good view of my brain and see what's going on. There's no way that my ears can take a closed MRI, last time it spiked my tinnitus for like two months.

 

The software is fully developed to make T1-weighted images completely silent. It's already been invented a decade ago (e.g. Canon Zen Edition; Seimenn's Quiet Suite, GE Silent Scan, but only the 'Silenz' sequence).

They're just hard to find.

 

My understanding is that in order to get good quality images, MRIs are still noisy. Is that inaccurate?

What are T1-weighted images? Images that lack quality or resolution?

 

It depends what they're looking for. T1-weighted images are more than enough to find things like tumors and bleeding. Life threatening things, anyway. I'd refer you to Google Images for more info.

 

I have been a long time lurker with tinnitus and hyperacusis, and I feel like I owe this community by sharing my successful MRI experience. Bottom line up front, I traveled to one of the quietest MRI machines available, and it did not affect my tinnitus / hyperacusis.

As most of us know, MRI’s can be extremely loud, but is a necessary diagnostic tool for many health conditions. I read on multiple threads here that the Canon MRI machines are one of the quietest MRI machines available, but not many posts went into detail about the experience with the Canon MRI. To my understanding, Canon has a special patented technology that reduces the noise for all sequences in the MRI.

I had a knee injury, and was told that my best option for a diagnosis was to get a knee MRI. I first was hesitant to get a MRI knowing how loud they are, and delayed the process for over a year. A quick background on my condition, I have tinnitus and hyperacusis caused by a loud noise incident. Extremely loud noise (fireworks, concerts etc.) can cause the condition to temporarily worsen or become permanently worse, so I was extremely scared to get this MRI performed. I decided that if I get a MRI, it will be at the quietest MRI that technology has to offer.

I researched the Canon MRI machines and found that SDMI in Las Vegas has the 1.5T and 3T Canon MRI’s. I traveled to Las Vegas and had the knee MRI performed with the Canon Vantage Orian 1.5T MRI at the SDMI Galleria location. First I need to state, we all have different noise tolerances, so please take my experience with a grain of salt. I used 32dB foam earplugs and the in-house headset. With these two hearing protections, the MRI noise was tolerable for me, and not as loud as I expected. Yes, I could still hear the MRI noise, and it’s probably loud without the hearing protection.

Thankfully, the hearing protection was enough to reduce the sound to manageable levels for me. The MRI lasted about 20 minutes, and my ears felt perfectly fine afterwards. No change to my tinnitus or hyperacusis afterwards. I personally believe traveling for the Canon MRI was 100% worth my time and expenses.

Again, this experience might not be the case for everyone, especially if your hearing condition is more sensitive or the exam is on another part of the body. Please also note, this was my first and only MRI, so I have no other MRI experience to compare it to. Also, this experience only relates to the newest Canon MRI machines.

I hope this post can calm the fears and anxiety of anyone where who may need a MRI in the future. I only knew about the Canon machines because of Tinnitus Talk, so I am very grateful for this site. I know if I saw a post like this beforehand, I would have gotten the MRI much sooner, and I wouldn’t have been as nervous. If this post can help even 1 person to go through with the MRI procedure, then it was worth sharing. Good luck to all of you.

Take care.

 

I really wish the techs who have these Canon MRI machines could tell me if they also have the additional software package that makes them even more quiet. But none seem to know anything.

 

I asked the technicians the same question, and they said "no".

 

I need a head and neck MRI but I won't do it if I can't find a quieter machine.

Canon makes one but the company has chosen within recent years to keep their locations secret. I called today and I was told that the information cannot be given to the patient.

110-120 dB even with earplugs which reduce the noise by 30 dB is just too much.

I have made at least 10-15 calls to facilities in my home state of NC as well as up and down the east coast and cannot get a good lead on a quiet machine. My doctor doesn't know where to find one. That leaves me without any alternative unless I don't mind increasing my tinnitus problem.

I left a message for Siemens, the manufacturer of Quiet Suite. Maybe they will give me better news. I can only hope.

 

@krisb, we're in the same boat. Canon wouldn't tell me where their machines are located, so I've been calling the hospitals near me. The majority of them use G.E. The hospital where I'm supposed to have my scan two weeks from now is using a Vida machine, which is made by Siemens, and from what I could tell from the Siemens website, the main selling point of the Vida (from the consumer's perspective) is the extra-wide bore, which makes it more comfortable for the obese and the claustrophobic. That's great, but all I really care about is the noise level, and that was not addressed anywhere on the website. For all I know, a Siemens is no better or worse than a G.E.

If you hear anything from Siemens regarding the noise level of their machines, please report back here if you have the time and inclination. I'm leaning toward canceling or postponing my appointment with the Vida because I still have my heart set on a Canon Vantage if I can find one.

 

I kept putting relevant search words in the Google until I saw a press release for a facility somewhat near me bragging about their new Cannon machine. That’s how I found one. My scan was cancelled but now I know where to go in the future.

George

 

What "very small MRI headsets" are you referring to? Can you post a website and brands? Thanks.

 

SDMI in Las Vegas has the Canon Orion 1.5T and Galan 3T. My post on November 12 on this same thread has more information. Best of luck.

 

@Silentreader, thank you!

 

Is anyone familiar with the "Toshiba Vantage Excelart AGV" MRI machine? My state put out an updated list of MRI locations in my state. And there are a few that list "Toshiba Titan" or "Toshiba Canon".

But I looked up the Toshiba Vantage Excelart AGV, and it mentions that it comes with "Pianissimo technology". Not sure if that's just referring to the vacuum chamber, or if it is referring to a software package that makes it even quieter.

Does anyone know of a website or something that has a list of the different Toshiba/Canon MRI machines detailing what year they were first released and what the differences are? I assume when they come out with a new model, there must be a difference. I'd want to go with the MRI machine that is the newest release and is the quietest. My understanding is that some Toshiba/Canon MRI machines have additional software to make it quieter than just the hardware vacuum technology.

Thanks.

 

Well, I found a place an hour away that has a Toshiba/Canon Advantage Orion MRI machine. It's 71cm wide, which I believe is considered to be a wide MRI machine. Which is nice compared to the more narrow MRI machines. They said they got it a few months ago. I don't know if this is a brand new machine, or an old one.

I'd be getting an MRI of my thoracic spine, meaning my head would be in some coil type device to count my vertebrae. The lady said it's not as tight as a head coil for a brain MRI.

And they have MRI earmuffs, though she didn't say what dB rating they are. She said they'd fit inside the head coil. And I asked her to double check that since I didn't want to drive all the way out there to find their earmuffs don't fit, but the lady wouldn't double check for whatever reason.

And I asked if theirs had the Pianissimo software package, and she seemed familiar with it and said she thought it did. But I asked her to double check, and am waiting a response. And she seemed willing I guess to call Canon to see about getting sequences that would make the MRI more quieter without compromising image quality.

So I guess I'll go ahead and get the MRI some time soon and use their MRI earmuffs and hope they aren't junk.

If I end up going through with the MRI, I may skip a night of sleep the night before. I'd probably show up a few hours early to make sure the earmuffs fit inside the head coil. And then I'd take 3-4 Ambien around 30 minutes before the appointment time, so hopefully I'd fall asleep. My body is riddled with disease and I have a lot of joint and back pain. It would be hard to be still for an hour. I've done it before several times in the past, but my health is a lot worse now. And my back pain is a lot worse and I have real bad full body tremors now, like my entire body is buzzing from a spinal cord injury.

 

Good job, @Baker! It sounds like you've got a great plan and a nice lady at the MRI Center who's willing to work with you.

I wish you an excellent MRI experience. Keep us posted, please.