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 | Complex Fracture |
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/secondary spinal cord neoplasia 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 |