Understanding Different Types Of Mri Scans And Their Uses

By Author: Suborna Fermi
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Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI is an essential method in medical diagnostics, due to its high-resolution images, safeness and non-invasive nature. It is helpful to produce detailed images of the soft tissues, bones, joints and other structures, making it the ideal scan to detect and monitor various health conditions.

What is an MRI?

Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI is an advanced imaging scan that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create high spatial resolution, detailed images of the internal organs and surrounding structures. It does not use ionizing radiation.

Common types of MRI scans and their uses:

As it is one of the most commonly used scans to detect abnormalities throughout the body, there are several types of MRI scans, each with distinctive uses.

1. Brain and spinal cord MRI:

An MRI of the brain and spinal cord lets your doctors thoroughly examine the brain, spine, and spinal cord. Your doctor may order this scan to detect:

Brain and spinal cord injuries
Tumours
Collection of pus ...
... (abscesses)
Congenital disorder of the brain or spine
Aneurysm
Bleeding into or around the brain or spinal cord
Multiple sclerosis
Abnormal or dilated veins
Pituitary gland disorders
Cause of seizures
Fluid in the brain
Problems in the brain caused by lack of oxygen
Inflammation or infections in the brain
Degenerative disorder of the disk or spine

This scan is used to plan surgeries of the spine, such as spinal fusion. It can also be used to detect after-surgery complications, including scarring or infection.

2. Cardiac MRI

A cardiac MRI helps healthcare advisors to diagnose or monitor several cardiovascular diseases. Your doctor may order this MRI scan to:

Determine the cause of chest pain, shortness of breath, and fainting
Diagnose congenital heart diseases, heart failure, irritation of the pericardium and others
Check for heart muscle damage, infection, inflammation, protein buildup and iron deposits
Assess damage to the heart muscles after a heart attack
Identify the spot they need to treat during an ablation
Plan a treatment for a heart condition
Determine how much your treatment is helping your heart
Check how much a disorder has impacted your heart since the last scan

3. Breast MRI

A breast MRI is used along with a mammogram to detect and monitor conditions related to the breast. Healthcare providers order a breast MRI to:

Screen in women with high risk for breast cancer
Diagnose breast cancer
Determine the size of the tumour
Evaluate whether cancer has spread to other body parts
Check for cancer recurrences after treatment
Detects whether breast implants have raptured

4. Functional MRI

A functional MRI is an imaging scan that shows activities in specific areas of the brain, by detecting changes in blood flow through a blood-oxygen-level-dependent contrast technique. This scan is used in people with brain injury. This will help doctors find out whether the brain is functional or has a large injury. A functional MRI is also helpful to detect dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain tumour.

5. Magnetic resonance angiography

Magnetic resonance angiography is a type of MRI that uses time-of-flight (TOF) and contrast-enhanced (CE) techniques to visualize blood vessels and detect vascular diseases. The time-of-flight (TOF) MRA helps produce detailed images of the arteries and veins without contrast agents. A contrast-enhanced MRA uses a gadolinium-based contrast agent to produce detailed images of the blood vessels. MRA is used to diagnose renal artery stenosis, peripheral artery disease, and arterial dissection. It is also used to identify blood flow abnormalities, blockages, and aneurysms.

MRI scans are a crucial diagnostic method in today's medical diagnostics, this is because of its ability to create detailed images of the organs and other internal structures. The various types of MRI scans in Bangalore, include brain MRI, cardiac MRI, magnetic resonance angiography, functional MRI, diffusion MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, each contribute to diagnosing or monitoring a wide range of health conditions. You can check an MRI scan price in Bangalore online.

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