Indications for Advanced Tomographic Imaging Modalities

Body Part MRI Preferred CT Preferred

Brain

  • Arteriovenous malformation and aneurysm
  • Congenital anomalies
  • Extra axial trauma with negative CT
  • Infarction
  • Inflammatory disease
  • Otitis - middle and inner ear
  • Primary and metastatic neoplasia
  • Sella and pituitary disease
  • Vasculitis
  • Virtually all applications, in view of its superior soft tissue visualization and absence of beam hardening artifacts like those seen on CT
  • Complex Fracture
  • Prosthesis planning

Orbits

  • Cortical blindness or optic pathway disease
  • Optic neuritis
  • Retrobulbar neoplasms or masses
  • Retinal hemorrhage or subretinal effusion
  • Sudden blindness
  • Vascular abnormalities
  • Orbital trauma with fracture

Head & Neck

  • Nasal Neoplasia
  • Neck masses or adenopathy
  • Oropharynx and Nasopharynx
  • Salivary gland masses
  • Thyroid masses (in conjunction with thyroid scintigraphy)
  • Bony head and neck trauma
  • Dental associated masses
  • Skull base neoplasia

Spine

  • Congenital anomalies
  • Discospondylitis
  • Intervertebral disc disease
  • Myelitis
  • Primary or secondary or metastatic neoplasia of the spinal cord
  • Paraspinal/vertebral neoplasia
  • Post operative recurrence of
  • intervertebral disc disease
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Syringomyelia
  • Bony spinal trauma (vertebral fracture)

Orthopedics

  • Avascular necrosis (i.e. Legg-Calve-Perthes disease)
  • Joint effusion
  • Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma
  • Meniscal, tendon or ligamentous injury
  • Osteomyelitis and septic arthritis
  • Primary bone tumors (in conjunction with bone scintigraphy)
  • Soft Tissue Sarcomas
  • Complex Fracture
  • Prosthesis planning

Abdomen

  • Adrenal masses
  • Hepatic masses
  • Pancreatic masses
  • Renal masses (in conjunction with renal scintigraphy)
  • Splenic masses
  • Ectopic ureter evaluation
  • Portosystemic shunt (following positive scintigraphic study)
  • Renal/ureteral calculus evaluation

Thorax

  • Primary or metastatic lung carcinoma
  • Pleural disease
  • Pneumothorax
  • Pneumonia, abscess and empyema
  • Metastasis screening

Pelvis

  • Anal gland adenocarcinoma
  • Bladder carcinoma
  • Soft tissue sarcoma
  • Primary bone tumor
  • Prostate carcinoma
  • Uterine neoplasia
  • Trauma (complex fractures)

Cardiovascular

  • Cardiac and pericardial masses

Vascular

  • Intracranial aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation
  • Evaluation of thrombosis including aortic, caval, and portal vein.
  • Pulmonary embolism

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