THE ESSENTIAL
- A young woman was injured by her sex toy during an MRI.
- The silicone “toy” housed a metal core. It moved during examination due to the magnetic field.
- Indeed, an MRI requires that the patient not have any metallic object on them.
You should not hide anything from your doctor, even if it seems intimate, shameful or taboo to you. The misadventure of a 22-year-old patient in the USA reminds us of this. In July 2023, the young woman was seriously injured because the sex toy inserted in her body – which she had not told her healthcare professional – moved during an MRI.
MRI: the anal plug is raised up to his ribcage
In the incident report from the Food and Drug Administration (American agency for medicinal products) taken up by the Daily Mail, it is indicated that the young woman did not reveal to the health professional performing an MRI on her, that she had a butt plug inserted. “She went to get the MRI and when the scan was over and the technician was removing the table, the patient started screaming“, explains the health agency. The American woman reported feeling severe pain and nausea and feeling like she was going to faint. An ambulance was called to take her to the hospital. “The patient was examined by the on-site radiologist before transport to ensure she was okay”specifies the document.
Examinations revealed that the sex toy inserted into her rectum had moved through her body during the examination. The young woman thought it was 100% silicone, but it actually contained a metal core. The latter reacted to the magnetic forces of the MRI and traveled up to his ribcage, causing significant injuries. However, these have not been detailed.
The incident has been the subject of several prevention and awareness messages by health professionals on social networks since its occurrence in July 2023.
MRI: why you should not wear metal during the exam
To create detailed cross-sectional images, MRIs use strong magnetic fields (on the order of a few Tesla, typically 1.5 T and 3 T). This is why patients are asked not to carry any metal objects during the examination. “It is therefore necessary to remove jewelry, piercings, belts, watches, glasses, zippers, hearing or dental aids, etc. Magnetic cards will be left outside the room. It is also preferable not to wear makeup“, notes Vidal on his website.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Professor Adam Taylor, an expert in human anatomy at Lancaster University, explained: “The speed at which ferromagnetic materials move in an MRI field is proportional to the mass of the object and its distance from the magnetic field. Things like paper clips or bobby pins would easily reach 60km/m if they enter the field.”
“As this “toy” was primarily made of silicone with a metal core, it is possible that it moved at close to the speed of sound.” He added that such an event could be very serious.
Due to this phenomenon, MRIs are contraindicated for people who have:
- a pacemaker: the pacemaker may stop working;
- neurostimulators: these devices are used for example with Parkinson’s disease;
- a heart valve or a metallic vascular clip: these medical devices are no longer metallic today, but they were a few years ago.
“Orthopedic equipment (hip or knee prosthesis, pins, plates, screws) does not usually pose a problem, because it is immobilized by the bone scar around it. Metal fragments (e.g. from a bullet) are not dangerous only if they are close to the eye”explains Vidal.
