Neuro Imaging Flashcards
What type of scan is usually first line for neuro due to fast scanning times and availability
CT
What is better seen on CT
Anatomy of the skull
On a non-contrast CT what usually shows up as white
Bone or blood
What type of MRI is considered standard and best for differentiating fat from water
T1
What type of MRI is most sensitive for detecting brain pathology
T2
Anatomical MRI is ____ weighted while functional MRI is ___ weighted
T1
T2
Water appears black on _____ weighted images and white on ____ weighted images
T1
T2
Which type of imaging is best for acute hemorrhage
CT
Which type of imaging is best for diffuse axonal injury
MRI
What is the study of choice in head trauma and more sensitive for detecting fractures
CT
What imaging is used as the initial study in strokes
CT
What imaging study is more sensitive for brain masses
MRI
What is usually used to evaluate for aneurysms
CT
When is contrast dye used?
When evaluating for intracranial mass or vascular pathology
What is the study of choice when tumor is being imaged
MRI brain with and without contrast
What kind of imaging uses contrast to provide pictures of the blood vessels (eval for aneurysms, vertebral artery injuries, or vascular malformations)
CT angiogram
When is MR angiography used
If the patient has decreased renal function, contrast dye allergy, pregnant or breastfeeding patients
What should you use to view skull fractures?
Bone windows
What type of skull fractures are more likely to occur in temporal and parietal bones?
Linear skull fractures
What kind of skull fracture is associated with underlying brain injury and results from a high energy blow to a small area of the skull?
Depressed skull fractures
What is the imaging study of choice for facial fractures?
CT
What is the most common type of orbital fracture?
Blow out fracture
What is a traumatic accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and the stripped off dural membrane?
Epidural hematoma
70-80% of EDHs are located where?
In the temporoparietal region
CT looks like a balloon, young person, bright red blood
EDH
Which type of hematoma cannot cross the suture line
EDH
Most EHDs are due to injury to which artery
Middle meningeal artery
High-density, extra-axial, biconvex lens-shaped mass lesion on CT. Found in the temporoparietal region.
Epidural hematoma
13 yo male patient presents to ED after falling off his bike and hitting the left side of his head. Parents report he passed out for a minute, but has been acting fine since. He reports headache. Within 5 minutes of talking to him, he starts to act sleepy, his words become confused, and you notice his left pupil is larger than the right. Dx?
EDH
False localizing sign where the patient will experience ipsilateral weakness due to midline shift of the brain stem shift forces in contact with the opposing tentorium
Kernohan’s notch
T or F: epidural hematomas are more common than subdural hematomas
False. Subdural are more common
Commonly occurs in elderly and looks like a banana on imaging
Subdural hematoma
Often seen in deceleration injuries such as car crashes or falls
Subdural hematoma
Hemorrhage into potential space between dura mater and arachnoid
Subdural hematoma
Which hematoma is associated with a high mortality rate
SDH
Bridging veins are usually the source of __________ hematoma
Subdural
Acute SDH appears _______ on non-contrast CT while chronic SDH appears _______ on CT ___ weeks after injury
White
Dark
3
84 year old female had a ground level fall 3 days ago after dialysis treatment and struck her head. No loss of consciousness. She has been complaining of headache since then. This morning she was not acting like herself and was very sleepy with slurred speech. Dx?
Subdural hematoma