Brain MRI may provide more clinical information on some patients with acute stroke, particularly in the detection of acute ischemia and the identification of some stroke-mimicking pathologies. However, every second counts in stroke care—and brain CT has such faster door-to-needle times and better feasibility that it likely will remain the first-line stroke-imaging exam for the foreseeable future.  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into MRI contrast agents containing gadolinium, launched almost two years ago, has turned up zero evidence implicating these heavy-metal substances in any harms to the human brain. 

Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms are better served by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) than by color Doppler for follow-up care after receiving endovascular aortic repair (EVAR), according to a study published online May 18 in Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation.

Point-of-care ultrasound, aka “POCUS,” may not be great for finding what x-rays miss in children’s injured ankles, but it proved specific enough in a recent pilot study to recommend itself for ruling out significant ligament tears and radiographically occult bone damage.

Among the misgivings raised by the contemporary spotlight on imaging-related radiation exposure is whether head CT of children might affect their brain health down the road. In a spinoff study at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, it did no such thing.

Posttraumatic epilepsy is a known risk for adults who have suffered mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The same risk exists for children and teens, according to a longitudinal study published online May 5 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

Subpar quality in trauma CT images acquired in non-trauma care settings hampers accurate radiological interpretation, suggesting that other-than-imaging assessments are best until these patients are sent to trauma centers, according to a study published online April 18 in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.

Add this to the list of pathologies caused or occasioned by the opioid epidemic: memory loss so severe it glows on MRI.