Traumatic brain injury MRI

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Joanna Ekabua, M.D. [2]

Overview

Brain MRI is certainly one of the helpful tests in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, but this is not the first line testing. The reason being not widely available, time consuming and expensive nature of the test compared to a non-contrast CT scan. MRI is however, more sensitive than CT in identifying mild TBI and chronic findings of TBI.

MRI

Brain MRI may be helpful in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury.
Findings on MRI suggestive of/diagnostic of traumatic brain injury.
- Encephalomalacia – softening or loss of brain tissue in previous areas of contusion or hemorrhage.
- Diffuse axonal injury

Axial T1W noncontrast MRI showing encephalomalacia (yellow arrowhead). (Picture courtesy: MedPix)

Sagittal T1W noncontrast MRI showing encephalomalacia (yellow arrowhead). (Picture courtesy: MedPix)

Diffuse axonal injury of the lobar white matter, corpus callosum, and cerebellum with cortical edema (Picture courtesy: MedPix)

References

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