Definition
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to display the structures of the body in the form of sectional images. This form of imaging is often used, among other things, to show the central nervous system and the skull. Many different diseases in the area of the skull or head can be diagnosed and distinguished from each other with MRI imaging. In some cases, it is necessary to administer a contrast medium to better visualize the blood flow of individual structures and to distinguish them from their surroundings.
Indications
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many applications in the cranial region. Due to good contrast and high resolution in the area of the brain tissue, MRI imaging is often used in the diagnosis of brain diseases. In addition to the clarification of possible tumors, MRI is the method of choice for the diagnosis of inflammation in the area of the meninges or the brain substance, of cerebral hemorrhages and of vascular diseases (stenoses, aneurysms).
In addition, it is also partly used in stroke diagnostics by looking at the blood flow and distribution of blood in the brain. The MRI examination can also be used for the examination of dementia and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to its use for brain diagnostics, a cranial MRI can also be used to diagnose other diseases. It is often used to clarify the causes of a migraine disorder, to examine the petrous bone after sudden hearing loss and tinnitus, or to visualize the paranasal sinuses if inflammation, foreign bodies or tumors are suspected. MRI is also used in orthodontics in individual cases to image the temporomandibular joint (malposition, cartilage damage) and the teeth including the periodontium.
MRT for multiple sclerosis
MRI is frequently used in the diagnosis and follow-up of multiple sclerosis. Compared to other diagnostic examinations (neurological examinations, cerebrospinal fluid puncture), MRI is a reliable method of diagnosis, especially in the early stages of the disease. MRI imaging can show individual round-oval patches in the brain substance in the clinical picture of multiple sclerosis.
These are often located at the edge of the cerebral ventricles filled with cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) in the area of the cerebral marrow. These are centres of inflammation in the area of the myelin sheaths of the individual nerve fibres. By administering a contrast medium, the strongly perfused inflammation foci can be better separated from their surroundings. In addition, the injection of contrast medium allows a distinction to be made between fresh and old lesions of inflammation.
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