MEN'S HEALTH MATTERS:MRI is one of the safest tests available to your doctors and takes only a few minutes to perform
Q I am 59 years old and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I am going to have an MRI scan prior to radiotherapy. What is an MRI scan and are there any risks?
A MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a way of obtaining images of the body. This method of scanning uses strong magnetic fields rather than X-rays to generate pictures and therefore will not expose you to "radiation".
It is a very good method of imaging the prostate prior to radiotherapy to help with the planning of your treatment but an MRI scan is generally not required prior to surgical removal of the prostate.
In most people, MRI is completely safe but occasionally it is not advisable due to implanted metal devices in the body. Such implanted devices include cardiac pacemakers (and defibrillators), aneurysm clips placed in the brain (as a treatment for a burst blood vessel, ruptured aneurysm or blood clot), some false eyes (held in place with a small magnetic device) and implanted morphine infusion pumps (placed for treatment of severe intractable pain).
Although patients with hip or knee (or other joint) replacements can be safely scanned, detail of the tissues around the joint replacements is frequently blurred due to artefact (shadows) from the metal.
These issues should not concern you as trained staff will assist in completing a detailed questionnaire containing these and other routine questions prior to the procedure. The answers will determine if it is safe for you to have the scan.
When you are brought into the scanning room you will be asked to lie flat on the X-ray table. This table moves, allowing your body to be moved into the scanner which is a long, tunnel-like structure.
Occasionally, people find the environment claustrophobic but rarely require a mild sedative. Modern scanners are roomier and less claustrophobic so this is less of a problem.
The "dye" injected for MRI is very safe but may pose a problem if you have diminished kidney function. If this is the case, the scan may be performed without the dye or with a different dye that is less likely to cause you problems.
The important thing to remember is that MRI (even when a dye injection is necessary) is one of the safest tests available to your doctors and takes only a few minutes to perform. You will not feel anything during the scan but will only hear a repetitive clicking sound.
Q I am 26 years old and have little warty lesions on my foreskin and head of my penis. I also have one just inside my water passage. I had unprotected intercourse about four months ago and am too embarrassed to do anything about this problem. What is the treatment?
A It sounds like you have developed genital warts. Genital warts are one of the most common sexually transmitted infections seen in Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) clinics.
They are caused by a virus, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is common in young, sexually active people.
Not everybody who comes in contact with HPV will develop warts. It may take up to nine months after initial sexual contact with a person with HPV for warts to develop.
Genital warts are not harmful and do not increase the risk of cancer or reduce fertility.
If you have, as you say, developed genital warts after unprotected intercourse, it is very important to have a sexual health screen as occasionally other infections can be present without any symptoms. Up to 50 per cent of men with Chlamydia trachomatis infection do not have any symptoms.
Treatment for genital warts is topical in that the treatment is applied directly to the warts. There are lots of different treatments available for genital warts and the choice of treatment is determined by many factors including the number, the appearance, the size and their position.
Many of the treatments are aimed at destroying the wart and others are aimed at boosting the immune system to get rid of the HPV that has caused the wart.
Where possible, wart treatment is home based after an initial medical consultation and sexual health screen.
Warts may recur after initial clearance and the chances of this happening are greater if you are a smoker, have a medical condition or are in receipt of medications that weaken the immune system. Occasionally warts will need to be removed surgically.
• This column was edited by Thomas Lynch, consultant urological surgeon, St James's Hospital, Dublin with contributions from Dr Fiona Lyons, consultant genito urinary physician, and Dr Jim Meaney, consultant radiologist.
• Readers can submit questions on men's health to healthsupplement@irish-times.ie