This, however, can be challenging, as metal materials are not visible in clothing. Brands may also use unique terms from one to another, creating confusion, and are not required to label whether clothes are safe for MR environments.

Ferromagnetic detectors can help, but in a limited capacity, due to their inability to detect non- non-ferromagnetic substances, such as copper. Even regular metal detectors can prove inefficient due to the low quantity and concentration of metals embedded in clothing.


One example of this predicament involved an 11-year-old girl in 2012 who suffered second-degree burns from her undershirt, which contained silver microfibers that went undetected by a wand metal detector test prior to the MR exam, according to the American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Gilk says it is impractical for MR staff and technologists to have a comprehensive knowledge of the types of clothes and brands that pose risks like this and should focus on operational best practices, such as gowning patients, and focus on the specific area of the body being examined.

“We really have to resort to existing standard best practice, which is at least to get the clothing items in the area or region that is going to be receiving radiofrequency energy. If we’re doing the patient’s ankle, we’re probably not worried about the t-shirt they’re wearing but if we’re doing the head, then of course we are, because that’s close enough to the region that, depending on the particulars of the MR system, the t-shirt could receive a significant amount of radiofrequency energy.”

Other items at risk for setting off adverse events in MR environments include forms of compression wear, camping gear, and antimicrobial treatments that go into clothes.

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