MRI Scan - Head and Neck Angiogram (TOF) Test

'MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a clinical tool to evaluate brain anatomy and to detect various CNS (Central nervous system) abnormalities like tumors, infections, degenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease) etc. Time of flight angiography (TOF) is an MRI technique to visualize flow within vessels, without the need to administer contrast. A cervical MRI scans the soft tissues of your neck and cervical spine. The cervical spine is the portion of your spine that runs through your neck. This MRI is usually used to diagnose the cause of neck pain. It’s often performed if the pain hasn’t improved with basic treatment. It may also be done if the pain is accompanied by numbness or weakness. '

You can eat, drink and take medications normally unless, instructed otherwise Tell your doctor about any health problems, recent surgeries or allergies and whether there’s a possibility you are pregnant Change into a gown given at the lab Remove any such materials that might affect magnetic imaging like jewellery, eyeglasses, underwire bras, watches, wigs etc. During this test, you may need to carry out small tasks, such as answering basic questions or tapping your thumb with your fingertips.

A cervical spine MRI scan is used to help diagnose: tumors in your bones or soft tissues. bulging discs, or herniated discs It investigates the cause of hearing loss and detect soft tissue damage in the inner ear It detects spinal birth defects or deformities, an infection in or near the spine, injury or trauma to the spine, abnormal curvature of the spine, or cancer or tumors of the spine Look for blockage or narrowing of the arteries camera.gif in the neck that carry blood to the brain. The test may help your doctor decide if a procedure is needed to open a narrowed or blocked artery to increase blood flow

You’ll lie down on a narrow bed that’s attached to the MRI machine. Your head will be on a headrest and your arms at your sides During the exam, radio waves manipulate the magnetic position of the atoms of the body, which are picked up by a powerful antenna and sent to a computer The computer performs millions of calculations, resulting in clear, cross-sectional black and white images of the body These images can be converted into three-dimensional (3-D) pictures. This helps pinpoint problems in the head and neck regions