MRI Services

MRI is a diagnostic imaging technology that uses a strong magnet and radiofrequency waves to produce images of internal organs and structures. Because MRI allows physicians to see inside the body from any angle with great clarity, it can provide a wealth of information for certain conditions faster and better than prior diagnostic imaging studies. The accuracy and detail of images produced may also avoid the need for exploratory surgeries.

The MRI equipment purchased by Neurology Associates is equipped with a 1.0 tesla magnet. Its computerized work flow software allows for expedient, streamlined studies. Our system also features MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) capabilities which allow for non-invasive, high-speed, 3-dimensional imaging of blood vessels. These images are very useful to your physician in evaluating diseases including blockages and aneurysms.

The speed and efficiency of this advanced equipment allows Neurology Associates to schedule patients for MRI exams within days. A typical MRI exam takes only 30 - 45 minutes to complete.

Brain Atrophy Metrics

In as much as progressive brain atrophy represents irreversible brain damage and tissue loss, a metric of brain atrophy is a powerful surrogate for the accumulated burden of disease. It is likely that brain atrophy metrics will prove to be viable, precise, and clinically relevant measures of disease burden in MS. Atrophy measures will lead to a better understanding of MS pathology and will have important implications for disease prognosis, and monitoring treatment effect in clinical trials.

Our technique is based on the automatic estimation the BPF (brain parenchymal fraction). This measure depends on the 3D estimatation of the grey-matter (GM), white-matter (WM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) intra-dural volumes from in vivo MRI data. Visible T2 or T1 lesions explain only a minority of the variance in whole-brain or GM atrophy, and none of the variance in WM atrophy. Patients with early MS probably have normal neurological function despite significant brain atrophy because the destructive pathologic process continues for a long time before function is compromised. Nonetheless, Brain Atrophy predicts and correlates with cognitive and physical disability better than any other MRI measure. Findings imply an urgent need to identify factors related to brain and spinal cord atrophy in MS.