1999 Volume 39 Issue 13 Pages 938-940
Metallic artifacts in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging occur mostly in patients who have received an implant at surgery. Similar artifacts are now increasingly recognized in patients in whom high-speed drills have been used. A 15-year-old male with neurofibromatosis 2 had undergone excision of acoustic neurofibroma on the left 1.5 years prior to the present admission. MR imaging to evaluate the acoustic neurofibroma on the right showed a metallic artifact at the site of the previous surgery. Computed tomography did not show any evidence of metal debris. The artifact was probably caused by metallic dust or debris from a high-speed drill during the first surgery. We suggest that care should be taken to prevent deposition of such debris in the operative field to prevent this complication.
