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Canberra’s southside now has its own Magnetic Resonance Imaging service thanks to a new machine at I-MED Radiology Tuggeranong.

Brain

„ MRI is more sensitive for tumours than other modalities and is better at characterising and siting tumours.

„ MRI is the test of choice for demyelination, inflammation, and white matter diseases in general.

„ Epilepsy and dementia should be evaluated by MRI.

Spine

„ MRI better demonstrates the relationship of disc and most bone disease to the adjacent thecal sac, spinal cord, and nerve roots than other modalities.

„ MRI is the test of choice in spinal cord disease (eg. demyelination, transverse myelitis, tumour) and the initial choice for spinal cord or cauda equina compression.

„ Infection is best demonstrated on MRI (eg. discitis, epidural abscess, osteomyelitis).

Musculoskeletal

„ Internal and para-articular joint derangement (ligament or tendon tears, meniscal and labral tears) are well visualised on MRI, which is particularly useful for the knee and shoulder, but also extensively used for the hip, elbow, wrist, ankle, hand, and foot.

„ In avascular necrosis (Perthe’s disease, adult avascular necrosis of the hip or other bones) MRI allows early diagnosis of ischaemia before bone collapse or remodelling has occurred.

„ MRI has a role in the assessment of undisplaced fractures in and around joints that are not visible on initial x-rays, especially in children (because of radiation concerns and lack of ossifications). However, such assessment should not occur hyperacutely because the fracture may not be visible on MRI for the first 48hrs.

„ In articular hyaline cartilage disease, MRI can demonstrate chondral disease in detail, showing both early and late chondromalacia and frank chondral loss. Note that plain x-ray is still the best test for degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis.

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