What can be diagnosed by MRI?
Have you ever seen a movie scene where a human entered a big chamber-like machine in a hospital to scan their entire body? Well, that machine is known as an MRI machine. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a type of scanner that is often used in a hospital setting. So, what is an MRI scan used for? Usually, it is used to scan an image that cannot be seen on other imaging scanners such as X-Ray or ECHO scan. For example, x-ray scan is only used to scan bone and is very good in determining any fracture or dislocation. But, the main problem with x-ray scan is it cannot scan other types of components such as body tissue or fluid. This is where an MRI scan will be very helpful. MRI scan is predominantly used to scan images such as soft tissues and body organs. It uses a combination of radio waves and also magnetic fields in order to form an image of our body. By doing MRI scans, doctors can easily identify and confirm a diagnosis that was made during a health screening or consultation process. But what are the most common diagnoses that can be scanned by an MRI machine? Here are some of the lists:
- Tumor including cancer
A tumor is an abnormal growth of tumor cells that can be formed almost anywhere inside our body. A tumor is benign, which means it stays at one place. However, some tumors can become aggressive and spread to other parts of the body. We called this tumor cancer. By using an MRI machine, we can easily detect and locate the emergence of tumors inside the body. Furthermore, this scanner is made to scan the whole body, so it is usually quite easy to detect the spread of the tumor cells. This is the reason why MRI scan is dominantly used to detect and diagnose cancer. Not just for diagnosis, MRI scan is also used for early detection of tumor in order to prevent it from becoming aggressive. Besides, it is also used to check and determine a cancer progression throughout the patient’s life once the disease is confirmed.
- Soft tissue injuries
Soft tissues are tissues that form parts of our body such as ligaments and so on. They are responsible for keeping the organs or muscles to stay in place. Usually, MRI scan can also be used to detect and scan any damage to soft tissue, such as damaged ligaments. For example, professional footballers that tear their ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) during playing the game will need an MRI scan to determine the extent of injury. It is also helpful to know the severity so that doctors can make predictions about how long the time for recovery will be.
- Injury or disease of any internal organ
Internal organs mean any organ that is inside our body and these include brain, kidney, liver, heart and many others. As you all know, organs can be damaged or diseased. So, here is where the MRI scan will play its part. In order to detect and confirm the initial diagnosis, doctors will usually order an MRI scan if the disease or injury happens at any of the internal organs. With MRI scanning, doctors will be able to view an organ image in an extensive manner. They will be able to detect any problem regarding the impacted organ and also know the severity and characteristics. All of this information is very useful for any healthcare professional as they will be able to know the whole thing about the disease or injury.
