Grand River Hospital provides magnetic resonance imaging procedures through the hospital’s medical imaging program.
Our MRI service is located at the hospital’s KW Site, 835 King Street West in Kitchener on the second floor of the hospital’s D wing. It operates 24 hours, seven days a week.
Magnetic resonance imaging uses a strong magnet and radio frequency waves combined with a powerful computer system to produce images of the body to produce internal scans of the body.
In support of local academia, we have partnered with the University of Waterloo to provide after-hours access to the MRI for research purposes. This partnership has allowed us to enhance our equipment to improve scan times and image quality for patient care. It’s also provided new MRI functions to support brain research.
For more information on our MRI service, please call 519-749-4262. In the meantime, we are pleased to provide you details on how you can prepare for specific MRI examinations. Please see the links below for further information.
MR head
|
Preparation
|
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
30 –60 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate the structures and blood vessels of the brain, and sometimes of the face and inner ear. May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media. |
MR neck
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
45-60 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate the soft tissue structures of the neck, including the thyroid. May involve the injection intravenous of contrast media. |
MR spine
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
30-60 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate any or all parts of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral). May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media. |
MR bones and joints (including temporal mandibular and sacroiliac jts)
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
30-60 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate any bones or joints in the body, including the soft tissues around the bones (arms, legs, hands, feet). May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media. |
MR arthrogram
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
90-120 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate a joint after the injection of contrast media directly into the joint. This injection is done in the X-Ray department and then the patient is brought over to MRI for their examination. |
MR chest
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
60-120 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate the chest, including the heart and great vessels. May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media. |
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
Nothing to eat or drink four hours prior to your arrival time. May need to have a fleet enema. |
45-60 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate specific structures of the abdomen. These may include adrenals, kidneys, liver, spleen, and gallbladder. May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media.
MR examination to evaluate the structures of the pelvis. May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media and or rectal contrast media. |
MR angiogram
|
Preparation |
Procedure time |
Description |
|
None |
60-75 minutes |
MR examination to evaluate specific blood vessels. May involve the injection of intravenous contrast media. |
|