MRI Anatomy and Pathology Flashcards
6 cards from real MRI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 MRI Anatomy and Pathology flashcards as text
On MRI, cortical bone appears as which signal intensity on both T1 and T2 weighted images?
Answer: Low signal (signal void)
Cortical bone has very few mobile protons and produces a signal void (low signal) on both T1 and T2 weighted MRI sequences.
Which structure in the knee joint is best evaluated with MRI and appears as a low-signal-intensity triangular structure?
Answer: Medial meniscus
The medial meniscus is best visualized on MRI as a low-signal-intensity fibrocartilaginous triangular structure on coronal and sagittal images.
A T1 hyperintense (bright) lesion in the brain is most consistent with which finding?
Answer: Subacute blood or fat-containing lesion
T1 hyperintensity in the brain is classically associated with subacute hemorrhage (methemoglobin), fat, protein-rich fluid, or melanin.
The normal intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus appears as which signal on T2-weighted MRI in a healthy young adult?
Answer: High signal (bright)
The healthy nucleus pulposus is rich in water-containing proteoglycans and appears bright (high signal) on T2-weighted sequences.
On diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), an acute ischemic infarct typically shows:
Answer: High signal on DWI and low ADC values
Cytotoxic edema in acute infarction restricts water diffusion, producing high signal on DWI and low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values.
Which MRI sequence is most sensitive for detecting early bone marrow edema in stress fractures?
Answer: STIR or fat-saturated T2
STIR and fat-saturated T2 sequences suppress the bright fat signal of normal marrow, making the high-signal edema of stress fractures conspicuous.