Most often a head MRI scan is used to evaluate or track a variety of neurological injuries and conditions that could affect the brain and surrounding tissues. Most published medical literature supports its use for imaging of soft tissues as well as recognizing small changes in soft tissues that other imaging modalities cannot or are weakly sensitive to detect. A head MRI is frequently ordered for evaluations of headaches, seizures, dizziness, stroke, tumors, and traumatic brain injury a head MRI can be used for diagnostic purposes to rule in or out multiple sclerosis, infections, and certain conditions that have developmental components.
Criteria for MRI of the Brain
There are many reasons that a provider would order a head MRI, mainly for diagnosis, development and/or monitoring of neurological conditions. The most common are:
Unexplained Neurological Symptoms: A provider is commonly alerted to obtain an MRI of the head with ongoing or severe neurologic symptoms to include chronic headaches or migraines, dizziness, seizure activity, sudden vision or hearing changes, weakness, or new changes in thinking and behavior.
Vascular conditions: MRI is also very sensitive for detecting early acute strokes regardless of timing of symptoms. MRI, at times, shows the areas of the brain with compromised ischemia, bleeding, or even vascular malformations in the brain such as rupturing of an aneurysm or DVT areas in the brain.
Tumors and masses: MRI is the best image modality that will diagnose a brain tumor, cyst, or any mass. MRI is superior to CT, and assists in determining its measurement, location and sets this apart from malignant.
Multiple Sclerosis and Neurodegenerative Diseases: MRI is a principal tool used to diagnose, assess, and monitor MS probably displaying the expected MS lesions in the brain and spine.
Infection and Inflammation: MRI can demonstrate conditions such as an abscess, encephalitis, or meningitis, and is particularly useful when a patient has fever, an acute change in cognition, and/or indication of neurologic deficits.
Acquired Brain Injury: An MRI can demonstrate as well any damage to the brain following a head injury along with any signs of bleeding, edema, or other clinically significant structural changes that may not be recognized by CT scanning and other imaging procedures.
Congenital Accidents:MRI can identify congenital anomalies of brain structures that may account for delays in development or other neurological features in children.
Hydrocephalus:There is an abundance of fluid within the brain ventricular system creating pressure and headaches and possibly nausea and visual issues. MRI will help determine and follow hydrocephalus.
Monitoring Known Conditions: Patients who have a known condition where a brain disorder has been confirmed can be monitored for either disease progression or treatment response, such as monitoring MS, tumors or after surgery.
What Are The Alternatives To A Head MRI?
If you are unable to obtain an MRI for whatever reason, claustrophobia, metal implanted in your body pacemaker, clips, hearing aids, CT scans can act as a good substitute, they too can identify brain tumors.
What Can Be The Symptoms of Head Injury?
Headaches: Ongoing or atypical headache disorders warrant an MRI if they also involve new symptoms.
Dizziness or vertigo: An MRI will look into ongoing dizziness or vertigo.
Visual or hearing changes: MRI can help find possible causes of visual or hearing changes.
Loss of coordination or control of movement: MRI will look at the possible evaluative causes.
Changes in cognition: MRI can help determine possible causes of cognitive decline.
Conclusion
The head MRI is a complex imaging modality and a versatile tool. The head MRI is requested whenever a patient’s history or clinical examination suggests there may be a structural abnormality in the brain or the adjacent structures. MRI produces detailed images of structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why would a doctor order an MRI of your head?
A doctor may order a head MRI for many reasons that can involve a wide variety of possible neurological conditions or symptoms. Some intentions for an MRI include headaches, dizziness, visual changes, hearing changes, seizures, weakness, thinking or behavior.
Q. Why would I need an MRI scan on my head?
Because there are so many different types of neurological conditions and clinical symptoms, the MRI is often also used in the setting of diagnosis and/or to monitor treatment response with neurological disorders.
Q. What will a head MRI detect?
Brain MRI MRI Tesla Echelon Health MRI scans of the head (magnetic resonance imaging) is a non-invasive imaging technique capable of diagnosing a number of conditions in the head and brain.
Q. What will a head MRI detect?
It is also used to evaluate specific developmental issues, time course of progression of a disease, and study unique etiologies of symptoms such as headaches, seizures, vision changes, and so forth.
Q. Why is Carebox your best choice?
When selecting the imaging centres at carebox, it’s worth noting and keeping in mind the reasons why carebox is the most suitable.
