Does an MRI Hurt a Microchip?

With MRIs becoming more available, the question about their impact on identification microchips in pets has come up.

This study was based on 53 client-owned patients implanted with a microchip and undergoing MRI of various areas of the body for a variety of medical conditions.

General anesthesia was induced and each patient's microchip was scanned with a universal microchip scanner; the chip number was recorded. Patients were moved out of the magnetic environment, and microchips were scanned again. Patient information and chip number were recorded. Chip numbers before and after MRi were compared.

For all 53 microchips scanned from 53 patients, the same number was read accurately following MRI of a variety of sites.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These date indicated that MRI did not interfere with the functionality of these microchips. This information is valuable for practitioners recommending MRI for their patients and for clients who have invested in implanting a microchip in pets.