Impact of extended pre-scan written instructions on motion artifacts during head magnetic resonance imaging

This study aimed to assess the effect of extending pre-scan written instructions to patients undergoing head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations on motion artifacts. A controlled study was conducted in King Fahad Hospital at the Department of Radiology. A total of 100 patients were involved: 50 received only routine oral hospital instructions (control group), and another 50 received pre-scan extended written instructions besides routine oral hospital instructions (intervention group). The head MRI images were assessed regarding motion artifacts. Informed consent was obtained from all patients included in the study. The incidence of motion artifacts was significantly less in the intervention group than in the control group, 10% and 58%, respectively (p-value=0.001). The motion artifacts decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group. Extending written information before an MRI scan could significantly reduce motion artifacts and improve image quality.