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MRI and CT - brain diagnostics, features, safety, contrast

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«Hot spots» of our brain

  1. If the blow hits the left front part of the brain, named after the French doctor Broca, then the victim may lose speech.
  2. The point between the eyebrows: a blow to this area affects the frontal lobes of the brain, and the person loses the ability to learn.
  3. Spindle-shaped injury

«Hot spots» of our brain

  1. If the blow hits the left front part of the brain, named after the French doctor Broca, then the victim may lose speech.
  2. The point between the eyebrows: a blow to this area affects the front lobes of the brain, and a person loses the ability to learn.
  3. An injury to the fusiform gyrus (temporal lobe, left hemisphere) can turn off the ability to recognize faces.
  4. And finally, the cerebellum: a blow to the back of the brain, where the center of motor coordination is located, will “break” the gait - a person will not be able to walk in a straight line.

From the moment of injury, the countdown begins - a person's life depends on how quickly doctors can deliver the victim to the hospital and determine the nature of the damage.

In medicine, this is called "golden hour" - the time during which a patient can literally be pulled back from the brink of death.

What is the physics of the process that occurs in the brain when a person gets into a car accident or suddenly falls onto a stone pavement?

  • When struck, the brain receives a powerful jolt. The shock wave, like a tsunami, rushes through the brain at great speed, creating pressure drops along its path, which are accompanied by the so-called hydrodynamic push.
  • The cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain flows under pressure from the wide cavities of the ventricles into the narrow interventricular openings. In addition, the cerebral hemispheres shift relative to the brainstem, which causes tension or even rupture of axons.
  • Connections inside the brain are destroyed. The brain inside the skull is forced to shift, being injured by bone structures. As a result, capillaries burst, numerous hematomas appear.
  • The movement of fluid surrounding the brain can lead to edema and swelling of its individual parts. And all this together - to an increase in intracranial pressure and impaired cerebral circulation.

MRI or CT: what is the difference?

A modern computer tomograph allows us to obtain vital information for the patient - a device that makes it possible to see many sections of the brain. A tomograph differs from a conventional X-ray machine in that the radiation source rotates around the patient, X-rays penetrate the head in several directions and are recorded by sensors.

The computer processes the received information, and as a result, wherever the damage is hidden, it will not go unnoticed. If no changes are detected during the examination, then the patient most likely has a mild concussion. It is possible to get one even by hitting your head hard on an open door.

Medical supervision and rest - and in a week or two health can return to normal. It is a completely different matter if minor changes are detected on the tomogram:

  • in one case, these may be inclusions of increased density - hematomas, hemorrhages in the area of the contusion;
  • in another - areas of reduced density, which doctors call local edema.

Such images, in the presence of other corresponding symptoms, tell us that the patient has a brain contusion. It is much worse if the changes cover a significant part of the brain. This means that a large amount of liquid blood and its clots accumulate in the victim's head. Most often, such injuries are accompanied by a whole range of additional complications.

The primary task of doctors is to save a human life, to make the victim's condition stable. Only after this should one think about restoring the functions of the injured brain. And to do this, one needs to understand what is actually happening in the patient's brain. This can be seen with the help of another medical device, this time not associated with radioactive radiation. In this case, a magnetic field came to the aid of doctors.

The magnetic resonance imaging method allows one to study the human body using the magnetic properties of hydrogen atoms found in our body.

By placing the patient in a strong magnetic field, directing an electromagnetic signal through his body and recording the response of hydrogen atoms located in the studied area, doctors are able to determine what processes are occurring in the damaged area of the brain. The result is a three-dimensional image of any part of the brain and it is determined whether it has retained its vital capacity or not.

For a person who has been in a coma for a long time after a serious accident, such a study is the only way to prove to the whole world that he can still come back to life. For example, if the device detects increased brain activity when loved ones appear or when listening to favorite music.

CT and MRI in questions and answers

With the help of MRI and CT, we can now get an accurate picture of hundreds of diseases in the early stages. There are hypochondriac patients who try to have their brain, spine, and other organs and tissues examined at least once a year.

  • On the one hand, such care for one's own health is commendable.
  • On the other hand, there is no urgent need for it if there are no unpleasant symptoms.

Are these procedures safe?

No negative consequences have been recorded. But excessive and uncontrolled exposure to ionizing radiation (CT) on the body still has a detrimental effect on health. The use of high-frequency magnetic fields can theoretically affect the human body. How - is still unknown.

The Truth About Contrast

Patients have especially many questions about studies using contrast. Is it safe?

Contrast is a special solution that is administered intravenously and serves for better visualization, for example, of the tumor process.

In the USA and Europe, almost all studies are performed with the introduction of a contrast solution. In Russia, we use it at the patient's request or for special indications, when, for example, there is cancer alertness or suspicion of vascular stenosis. After the study, I advise drinking about two liters of water so that the substance is eliminated from the body faster, especially if there are kidney problems.

Contraindications to the use of contrast agents

  • MRI: safe for the patient, allergic reactions are extremely rare.
  • CT: allergy to iodine and severe renal failure.
Remember: ultrasound, MRI and CT are the shortest path to the correct diagnosis, since these methods are the gold standard of diagnostics.

The very first, safest and relatively inexpensive method of examination is ultrasound, then comes MRI. CT is an indispensable method in many situations, for example, in case of pathology of the chest organs, but due to the presence of radiation exposure, you should not get carried away with it unless absolutely necessary. Be healthy! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

04 Jan 2025, 05:26
Medical Blog

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