MRI CONTRAST AGENTS IN NEURORADIOLOGY – HOW THEY ACT!

 

It is well known that MRI is one of the highest achievement of the medical diagnostic technology, allowing us to analyze human anatomy in vivo.
The images of the morphological structures are truly fascinating.
Unfortunately in some cases the pathological processes have magnetic features similar to normal tissues making us diagnostic problems (Fig.1)

In such cases we inject special contrast media that helps us to come to the right diagnosis.
The contrast agent enhances the morphological information we get from the native scans with the new component, with information about the functional conditions of the brain structures.
The pathological change that was invisible on the native scan, become visible now. (Fig.2)

The MRI contrast media is a kind of functional marker providing us with valuable information about the condition of Brain Blood Bariere (BBB). (Fig.3, Fig.4)

 

It helps us in :

1. Identification of the lesion (Fig.5, Fig.6)
2. Differentiation between tumor, edema and necrotic tissue. (Fig.5, Fig.6)
3. Tumor staging
4. Follow up of the disease and identification of the treatment effects.

This Power Point Presentation of Prof.Vrcakovski is the easiest way to understand how the contrast media increases MR signals in Neuroradiology.

To get the whole presentation, proceed to the link below: