What Conditions Can an MRI Scan Diagnose?

Maybe you’re having unexplained symptoms, or one of your body’s systems isn’t working properly. For example, you might have a headache that won’t go away. An MRI may be able to shed light on your problem. 

You’ve been referred for an MRI because your doctor needs more information to make an accurate diagnosis. At REDI Diagnostics Corp in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, you receive expert care during your MRI, and our experienced radiologists provide prompt reports to your doctor. 

An MRI is a workhorse that doctors depend on to help diagnose many conditions. It allows our radiologists to see your organs, skeleton, and soft tissue through the high-resolution images it produces. An MRI is also used by specialists to monitor ongoing conditions, such as heart disease. Following are the types of health problems that an MRI can help diagnose. 

Brain and spinal cord conditions

An MRI helps diagnose all of these conditions: 

• Aneurysm 
• Eye or ear disorders 
• Multiple sclerosis
• Spinal cord conditions 
• Stroke
• Tumors
• Traumatic brain injury 

An MRI of your brain is called a functional MRI (fMRI). It shows whether you have proper blood flow to key areas of your brain. With an MRI, we can assess many conditions — for example, how much damage a head injury has produced as well as deterioration from Alzheimer’s disease.

Heart and blood vessel conditions 

Your doctor may order an MRI because they suspect a heart condition. An MRI can provide information on the following: 

• Function and size of your heart chambers 
• Condition of your heart walls 
• How much heart function you have if you’re living with heart disease or have had a heart attack 
• Aortic aneurysm 
• Blockage and/or inflammation in your blood vessels that could lead to a stroke or heart attack

Internal organ diseases 

Your doctor may order an MRI of your internal organs if you have unexplained pain, bleeding, or other symptoms related to:

• Liver and bile ducts
• Kidneys
• Spleen
• Pancreas
• Uterus
• Ovaries
• Prostate
• Breast 

In many cases, an MRI saves unnecessary invasive testing. For example, if you have very dense breasts and you have a questionable mammogram, an MRI can help determine if a biopsy is warranted. 

MRI of bones and joints

Perhaps your doctor needs more information about your musculoskeletal system. An MRI can help identify soft tissue injuries such as torn ligaments (an ACL injury) or cartilage (a meniscus injury), deteriorating spinal discs, bone infections, and bone and soft tissue tumors. 

If your doctor requests an MRI for more information related to an issue you’re facing, call REDI Diagnostics Corp or book an appointment online today for prompt and accurate MRI testing.