New Research Suggests Men Can Forgo Prostate Biopsies through MRIs

Prostate biopsies come with several serious side effects, such as sepsis. Although there is only a small risk that a man will suffer from negative reactions, it’s a risk that can be entirely eliminated by not undergoing the biopsy. Men now have the option of receiving an MRI scan if it’s suspected that they may have prostate cancer.

A magnetic resonance imaging exam won’t always catch prostate cancer, but it can at least a considerable number of men from a prostate biopsy. Therefore, it’s recommended that all men first undergo an MRI if it’s suspected they have prostate cancer.

How MRIs Can Be Used to Improve the Accuracy of Brain Cancer Diagnosis

Many cases of brain cancer are misdiagnosed, which leads to incorrect treatments. Neurosurgeons from the UC San Diego Health System have discovered a way to increase the accuracy of brain cancer diagnoses. They combined MRI technology with non-invasive cellular mapping techniques for a more accurate way of diagnosing brain tumors and cancer.

This method is more accurate than old methods. It’s important to diagnose the type of brain cancer correctly because effective treatment methods are different. Continue reading to learn about how MRIs can now be used to improve the accuracy of brain cancer diagnosis.

MRI Helps Doctors Distinguish Between Multiple Sclerosis and Mimics

Multiple sclerosis or MS can be difficult to diagnose without the right tools, mainly because the condition shares many symptoms with many other disorders. Common symptoms of MS include pain, fatigue, numbness, tingling, blurred vision, and heat sensitivity, among others. As you can tell these are symptoms of so many conditions, from minor to serious ones.

MRI vs. CT Scan: Is One Better than the Other?

You may have heard of both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (scans) as excellent methods of obtaining diagnostic images of the inside of your body. However, each method accomplishes their intended tasks in very different ways. Here’s how MRI and CT scans differ from each other:

MRI

As the name implies, MRI uses magnets and radio waves to produce a diagnostic image. Basically, magnets are used to line up all of the body’s protons in a certain manner, then radio waves are bounced off the protons to produce a signal that the MRI scanner can interpret into a 3D image. The upside to MRI is that it doesn’t make use of potentially harmful radiation to produce its images.

CT Scan

In contrast, CT scans make use of X-ray beams, which require a small dose of ionizing radiation. The CT scanner takes multiple 2D images of the part of the body being examined, then a computer combines these 2D images to create one 3D image to reveal the presence of disease or injury in the body. It’s worth noting that the radiation levels used in CT scans are considered safe for the human body.

Applications

In terms of speed, CT scans are generally faster to obtain than MRI scans—while MRI scans take an average of 30 – 45 minutes to complete depending on the body part scanned, CT scans can be done in less than five minutes. Each also has its general applications—MRI is often used to diagnose soft joints, ligaments, soft tissues and tendons, while CT scans lend more toward the diagnosis of fractures to the head, chest, spine, abdomen and pelvis.

It is ultimately up to your physician to decide which scanning method is more applicable to your current medical condition, but rest assured, each method can serve their purpose well as long as they are carried out by the most trusted providers in the field.

Sources:

What is the difference between a CT and a MRI?

http://www.woosterhospital.org

What’s the Difference Between a CT Scan and an MRI?

http://www.viaradiology.com

Take a Look Inside: How an MRI Can Help Your Doctor with Your Health

Magnetic resonance imaging, popularly known as MRI, is a powerful method of looking inside the body without actually creating an incision. MRIs produce extremely detailed imagery that allows physicians to observe problems that CT scans and X-rays would not reveal.

In fact, they are excellent in giving results for all internal organs and can detect abnormalities such as tumors of the spine, multiple sclerosis and stroke. They can also detect hormonal disorders such as galactorrhea and Cushing syndrome.