MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Callaghan
Dr. Martina Callaghan PhD
Head of Physics & Senior Lecturer
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging
Institute of Neurology
University College London
London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: As mirrors the situation in the general population, we found that an increasing number of volunteers who were seeking to enter cognitive neuroscience studies at our Centre had tattoos. However, the magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pose a potential safety risk for people with tattoos. A number of case reports have described such incidents. However, as these describe isolated cases retrospectively, there was not enough information to objectively assess the risk of tattoo-related adverse reactions for persons having an MRI scan. Therefore, in 2011, we decided to embark upon this first prospective study to quantitatively assess this risk.