Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Uveitis MRI
Introduction
Overview
Overview
There are no diagnostic MRI findings associated with uveitis. The presence of certain MRI findings, in the presence of uveitis, may be suggestive of specific underlying causes such as sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis, Behcet’s disease, syphilis, and joint abnormalities in seronegative spondyloarthropathies.[1][2][3][4][5]
MRI
MRI
There are no diagnostic MRI findings associated with uveitis. The presence of certain MRI findings, in the presence of uveitis, may be suggestive of specific underlying causes such as:
Sarcoidosis
The following MRI findings are suggestive of neurosarcoidosis:[1]
- Hypointense lesions adjacent to grey matter
- Homogeneous enhancement and meningeal thickening (in meningeal involvement)
Multiple Sclerosis
The following MRI findings are suggestive of multiple sclerosis:[2]
- Hypointense periventricular, juxtacortical, or infratentorial lesions on T1 imaging
- Hyperintense periventricular, juxtacortical, or infratentorial lesions on T2 imaging
Behcet’s Disease
The following MRI findings are suggestive of neurological manifestations of Behcet’s disease:[3]
- Hypointense T1 lesions in the brainstem, basal ganglia, or thalamus
- Hyperintense T2 lesions in the brainstem, basal ganglia, or thalamus
- Focal or multifocal lesions, cerebral vein thrombosis
Neurosyphilis
The following MRI findings are suggestive of neurological manifestations of syphilis:[4]
- Longitudinal hypointense T2 weighted images in the dorsal column of the spinal cord in tabes dorsalis
Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies
Sacroiliac joint MRI is used as a confirmatory test in axial spondyloarthritis in the diagnostic approach to uveitis. [6]The following MRI findings are suggestive of joint abnormalities in seronegative spondyloarthropathies:[5]
- Synovial enhancement
- Hyperintense T2 signal
- Bone erosions and subchondral bone changes
Ocular Lymphoma
Head and Orbit MRI is used in the evaluation of suspected ocular lymphoma in steroid unresponsive cases (e.g., age>50 years, unresponsive to steroids).[6]
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Smith JK, Matheus MG, Castillo M (2004). “Imaging manifestations of neurosarcoidosis”. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 182 (2): 289–95. doi:10.2214/ajr.182.2.1820289. PMID 14736648.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lövblad KO, Anzalone N, Dörfler A, Essig M, Hurwitz B, Kappos L; et al. (2010). “MR imaging in multiple sclerosis: review and recommendations for current practice”. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 31 (6): 983–9. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A1906. PMID 20019103.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hegde AN, Mohan S, Lath N, Lim CC (2011). “Differential diagnosis for bilateral abnormalities of the basal ganglia and thalamus”. Radiographics. 31 (1): 5–30. doi:10.1148/rg.311105041. PMID 21257930.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pandey S (2011). “Magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord in a man with tabes dorsalis”. J Spinal Cord Med. 34 (6): 609–11. doi:10.1179/2045772311Y.0000000041. PMC 3237288. PMID 22330117.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jacobson JA, Girish G, Jiang Y, Resnick D (2008). “Radiographic evaluation of arthritis: inflammatory conditions”. Radiology. 248 (2): 378–89. doi:10.1148/radiol.2482062110. PMID 18641245.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Maghsoudlou, P., Epps, S. J., Guly, C. M., & Dick, A. D. (2025). Uveitis in adults: A review: A review. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 334(5), 419–434. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.4358
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Tarek Nafee, M.D. [2]Basir Gill, M.B.B.S, M.D.[3]