PRO: There Is a Role for MRI in Acute Trauma: M.D. Perspective
Edwin Oei1
1Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Synopsis

Keywords: Neuro: Spinal cord, Musculoskeletal: Joints

In this presentation the MD perspective on the important role of MRI in acute trauma is presented. A particular emphasis is placed on the critical role of MRI in the evaluation of traumatic injury of the spine and the extremities. The added value of MRI compared to other imaging modalities, such as radiography and CT, to demonstrate significant injuries that require immediate attention and treatment, will be demonstrated. Implementation of MRI in the acute trauma setting can be enhanced by rapid MRI protocols.

In this presentation the MD perspective on the important role of MRI in acute trauma is presented. A particular emphasis is placed on the critical role of MRI in the evaluation of traumatic injury of the spine and the extremities. For the spine, these injuries include, for instance, spinal cord injury, ruptures of spinal ligaments, and intra-spinal hemorrhage. MRI may also be useful in distinguishing between acute and old vertebral fractures. For the extremities, MRI is the imaging modality of choice to detect and classify traumatic derangements of the ligaments (e.g. cruciate and collateral ligaments of the knee), tendons, articular cartilage, and menisci. MRI has a large added value compared to other imaging modalities, such as radiography and CT because of its superb tissue contrast. Many of the injuries demonstrable with MRI may require immediate attention and treatment. However, the drawback of MRI is the long scanning time, limited availability of MRI scanners in the acute setting, and risk of movement artefacts. Threfore, implementation of MRI in the acute trauma setting can be enhanced by rapid MRI protocols.

Acknowledgements

No acknowledgement found.

References

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Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 32 (2024)