"MRI Safe" Earmuffs — Source in Europe?

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to locate a supplier for "MRI safe" earmuffs in Europe. Whenever I search for something like this, I keep coming across "Pro Ears" models, but it appears that they (the Altus Brands company that supplies them) don't ship outside of North America.

Does anyone know of a make or model of MRI safe earmuffs that are available in the EU?

Thank you!

 

I can't even find those in the US... can you provide a link?

 

Hey @ajc - certainly - the first website that I came across with a listing for them was this one:

https://www.earplugstore.com/mri-safe-hearing-protectors.html

Though there are others similar sites too, such as:

https://www.mriequip.com/store/pc/MRI-Non-Magnetic-Ear-Muffs-c78.htm

And the "Pro Ears" website - suppliers of these headsets - is at:

https://proears.com/

EDIT: You can find listings for these products on Amazon (e.g., https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Ears-Ultra-Sleek-Protection/dp/B00ENX1FCM/), but in the "Questions" section for these listings, you'll see things like:

Q) Can you wear these during an MRI test (no metal in them)?

A) The Pro Ears Ultra Pro model sold on Amazon is NOT MRI safe, but the company does make an MRI safe model, but it is NOT available on Amazon. Just contact the company at 1-800-891-3660.

 

Why do you need to bring your own earmuffs? Just use good earplugs + the earmuffs they provide on top. I doubt they let you use your own earmuffs.

 

I'm needing to get an MRI of my thoracic spine. And I was looking at getting it at a Canon MRI machine. I have never done a Canon MRI before. I contacted a few places, and then someone mentioned that your head had to be in a coil so it could count your vertebra. And I think it may be too much of a risk to go in with only earplugs.

But I thought of trying to find the thinnest/smallest earmuffs that are safe for MRI to see if maybe they'd fit inside the coil. I've done a ton of searching on the internet, and right now I'm looking a the Pro-Ears. They have a Youth version and a version that is smaller than their normal version that is rated at -26 dB.

Does anyone know which is smaller? I believe the Youth version can fit on small adult heads. But not sure how much, if any, it is smaller than the -26 dB version?

Youth version:
https://proears.com/product/pro-ears-ultra-youth-mri-kit/

-26 dB version:
https://proears.com/product/pro-ears-ultra-26-mri-kit-copy/

Has anyone used both versions? The -26 dB, it says it fits inside most head coils. I'll only be using Canon MRI machines. So I don't know what kind of head coil they use, or if the head coils are all different, i.e. depends on the facility?

 

They don't let you in the MRI with your own earmuffs because 99% of them contain metal. There are special earmuffs for MRI that they provide.

Good luck, the noise will penetrate through the bone. I hope you will be ok after this.

 

I don't have the answer to this, but you are doing the right thing: get your own earmuffs. You never know what you are going to encounter when you go for an MRI.

Administrative assistants at clinics do not even know what MRI machine they are using, what are the protocols etc., let alone the noise level. And it's impossible to talk to the people who will operate the MRI machine until you are there, on the day of the test.

 

I called around and did talk to a lady at a place that had a Canon MRI machine. And she ended up calling Canon and found that there were certain changes that she could make here and there that would help to cut down on the noise. She is 3 hours away compared to 1 hour from the nearest place that has a Canon MRI machine. So if I do go in, I'll probably call the place that is an hour away to check if they can call Canon to see if they can do sequence settings that will help quiet it down compared to their usual settings.

My tinnitus gets worse from noise exposure, though I'm hoping earplugs and MRI safe earmuffs will keep noise damage from happening. I do spend four hours on a riding lawnmower every two weeks with earmuffs on and seem to do okay. Though I'm not sure what the noise levels are inside a Canon MRI machine compared to riding around on a loud riding lawnmower?

Thanks.

 

Well, I'm going to have to get dental work done at some point. So I guess I'm screwed either way. Though it seems like things may be okay in an MRI machine if it's a Canon and I have double protection. Need to get a Thoracic MRI, and they said I'd need a head cage for that. So I will try and get thin MRI earmuffs and see if they fit.

I've read that Canon MRI machines don't get louder than 85 dB, though I don't know how accurate that information is.

 

I don't use any loud tools etc... but an MRI is, generally, very loud.

 

Yeah, though there are some Canon MRIs in my state. Which are supposed to be quieter than other MRI machines. I've read it doesn't go louder than 85 dB. Though I'm not sure if that is for any scan, or just certain types of scans. But anyways, many here seem to say Canon MRI machines are generally quieter than all other brands.

I searched around and found that lawnmowers are like 95 dB noise. So I seem to do fine wearing just earmuffs and riding around for four hours at a time compared to say an hour in an MRI machine, which would be a Canon model.

 

For my recent MRI, these are the ones that they gave me. NRR of 29, I would have preferred my Macks at NRR of 32 but wasn't allowed to wear them. But really I was more concerned with the contrast dye gadolinium. That made me sick/dizzy for the next few days, and I could feel it burning as they injected it. Apparently the stuff is pretty toxic.

 

I think the level of noise depends on image quality. The better the image quality you want to get, the noisier it is.

 

I've read 3T is louder than 1.5T weighted. They say Canon/Toshiba machines have a vacuum chamber to make them quieter than any other brand. I believe some machines may be louder/quieter than others. But people say to only use a Canon MRI machine if you want a quieter MRI scan. And some Canon MRI machines are quieter than others if they have certain software packages. You can search around here on Canon or Toshiba MRI machines for more information on what others say.

I really wish the MRI companies would provide a lot more information instead of us having to scavenge the internet for information ourselves.

 

Did you end up getting the MRI? I need one for my brain and fortunately there is a Canon 1.5T Vantage down the road from me with the Pianissimo Zen technology. I’m terrified of worsening my hyperacusis but hopefully the double protection will mitigate it. Unfortunately I have some other health issues that suggest brain lesions or possibly a tumor so the MRI is essential.

 

No, I haven't gotten the MRI yet. I do have some locations in my state that have Canon/Toshiba MRI machines. They all are the 1.5T Vantage. And none of them can tell me if they also have the Pianissimo Zen technology. Which I don't get how they wouldn't know.

There was one place that had the Canon/Toshiba MRI where the lady actually called Canon. And the guy at Canon walked them through some various settings that she could use that would help cut down on the noise without apparently worsening image quality. But that place is like 3 hours away. Will have to see if someone at one of the places closer will call Canon to get that information.

For like a month, I did call random hospitals in my state and nearby states to try and find other locations that had a Canon MRI machine and to see if they had the Pianissimo Zen technology. But I couldn't find any others, and the calling hospitals all day got real old. Some of them I had to leave a message. And some I'd be on hold for like 30 minutes. And so it was really dragging and I took a break and now just don't feel like calling hospitals all day long. Really wish there was an easier way to find out which places have the Canon/Toshiba MRI machines.

Anyways, I need a thoracic MRI scan. And I got tired of calling all of those hospitals. And so I had planned to just go ahead with just the regular Canon/Toshiba MRI that probably doesn't have the Pianissimo Zen technology. I figured I should be okay with earplugs and MRI earmuffs. I believe the Canon/Toshiba only go up to 85 dB, from what I've read. But that could be wrong. Anyways, I figured with earplugs and earmuffs, that I should get a -38 dB protection. Which would mean a 47 dB noise. Which I think should be okay as I mow the yard for hours at a time with just earmuffs.

But then the guy at the MRI place told me that my head would have to be in a cage because they needed to be able to count my vertebrae. And so he said their earmuffs probably wouldn't fit inside it. And so I decided to pause getting that MRI for the time being. But I found the Pro Ears seem to make MRI safe earmuffs that are smaller. They do have some for kids that are even smaller that I read an adult should be able to wear if they don't have a real big head.

So I've been thinking about getting the Pro Ears MRI safe earmuffs and see if they'll fit in the cage. I don't feel comfortable wearing earplugs alone. And I have to say, I had an MRI of my spine years before my tinnitus, and doctors pretty much either refused to go over it with me, or lie and say my MRI didn't show anything wrong, even though it showed I broke my back and I had a spinal cord injury. So getting a new MRI may be pointless.

But I haven't ordered the Pro Ears MRI safe earmuffs yet as I'm tight on funds.

But let us know if/when you get that MRI and how it went. If you are going in for a brain scan, then your head will probably be in a cage, and I've read you can't wear earmuffs because they may not even fit inside the cage, but mainly because people say the earmuffs can/will cause artifacts on the scan of a head scan.

If anyone else has had an MRI inside a Canon/Toshiba, can you let us know how loud it appeared to be compared to a regular MRI machine? I've had MRIs inside a regular MRI machine, though the last one was like 7 years ago, and I don't remember how loud it was.

My anxiety has been a lot worse ever since I went nearly completely paralyzed years ago from a disc herniation. My muscles constantly tremor, as if I had TENS machines all over my body, and I have a lot of back pain in my spine. And I developed some claustrophobia that I never had before; it started right after going nearly completely paralyzed for a while. It has something to do with my nerves as I have spinal cord compression, it's not a psychological thing.

So if I were to get the MRI of my thoracic spine, I'd probably load up on several Ambien 30 minutes before I go in. As my scan would probably be an hour long. I'd cross my fingers that I end up falling asleep during the whole thing and hopefully not wake up in the middle and jerk awake ruining the can. Though I believe they can redo an area if the scan got messed up because you moved without them having to start all over.