MRI Anatomy and Pathology Flashcards

A 'blooming' artifact on gradient echo (GRE) MRI is caused by which substance?

Answer: Hemosiderin or calcification

Hemosiderin, calcium, and other susceptibility-inducing substances cause local field inhomogeneities that appear as signal loss blooming on GRE sequences.

On MRI of the prostate using PI-RADS scoring, which sequence is the most dominant sequence for peripheral zone lesions?

Answer: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)

DWI is the dominant sequence for peripheral zone lesion characterization in the PI-RADS v2.1 scoring system for prostate MRI.

Which MRI finding is characteristic of a benign rotator cuff tear involving a full-thickness supraspinatus tendon rupture?

Answer: Fluid signal gap (T2 bright) extending through the full thickness of the tendon

A full-thickness tear shows fluid (T2 hyperintense) extending completely through the tendon from bursal to articular surface.

On brain MRI, the hippocampus is best evaluated for atrophy (as in Alzheimer's disease) on which plane?

Answer: Coronal, especially perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus

Coronal T1-weighted images perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus provide the best visualization of hippocampal volume and atrophy.

In MRI of the breast, a finding described as a 'rim-enhancing mass' on dynamic contrast imaging is most suspicious for:

Answer: Malignant lesion

Rim enhancement of a breast mass, indicating peripheral enhancement with central necrosis, is a suspicious finding associated with malignancy.

Which MRI technique uses the difference in signal between in-phase and opposed-phase images to detect intravoxel fat within a lesion?

Answer: Chemical shift imaging (Dixon technique)

Chemical shift imaging exploits the precession frequency difference between fat and water; signal drop on opposed-phase images indicates intravoxel fat content.