Why it is done

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is done for many reasons. It is used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infection. MRI also may be done to provide more information about a problem seen on an X-ray, ultrasound scan, or CT scan. Contrast material may be used during MRI to show abnormal tissue more clearly. An MRI scan can be done for the:

Head. MRI can look at the

http://www.webmd.com/brain/picture-of-the-brain brain for tumors, an http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/aneurysm aneurysm, bleeding in the brain, nerve injury, and other problems, such as damage caused by a http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/stroke-7439 stroke. MRI can also find problems of the http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/picture-of-the-eyes eyes and http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/optic-nerve-7742 optic nerves, and the http://www.webmd.com/brain/picture-of-the-ear ears and http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/auditory-nerve auditory nerves.

Chest. MRI of the chest can look at the

http://www.webmd.com/heart/picture-of-the-heart heart, the valves, and http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/coronary-arteries coronary blood vessels. It can show if the heart or http://www.webmd.com/lung/picture-of-the-lungs lungs are damaged. MRI of the chest may also be used to look for http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/breast-cancer-8310 breast or http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/lung-cancer lung cancer.

Blood vessels. Using MRI to look at blood

vessels and the flow of blood through them is called http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/magnetic-resonance-angiogram-mra magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). It can find problems of the arteries and veins, such as an aneurysm, a blocked blood vessel, or the torn lining of a blood vessel (dissection). Sometimes contrast material is used to see the blood vessels more clearly.

Abdomen and pelvis. MRI can find problems

in the organs and structures in the belly, such as the http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-liver liver, http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-gallbladder gallbladder , http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-pancreas pancreas, http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/picture-of-the-kidneys kidneys, and http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/picture-of-the-bladder bladder. It is used to find tumors, bleeding, infection, and blockage. In women, it can look at the uterus and ovaries. In men, it looks at the http://men.webmd.com/picture-of-the-prostate prostate.

Bones and joints. MRI can check for

problems of the bones and joints, such as http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/arthritis arthritis, problems with the http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/temporomandibular-tm-joints temporomandibular joint, http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/bone-marrow bone marrow problems, http://www.webmd.com/cancer/bone-tumors bone tumors, http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/cartilage-8268 cartilage problems, torn http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/ligament ligaments or http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/tendon tendons, or infection. MRI may also be used to tell if a bone is broken when X-ray results are not clear. MRI is done more commonly than other tests to check for some bone and joint problems.

Spine. MRI can check the discs and nerves

of the spine for conditions such as http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/spinal-stenosis-7451 spinal stenosis, http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/spinal-discs disc bulges, and http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/spinal-tumors spinal tumors.