What Should I Know About My Brain MRI Results?

The human brain is complex. It can process information at incredible speed, store memories, and coordinate everything your body does. 

That’s why it can be concerning when something doesn’t seem right with your brain. 

In those cases, healthcare providers will usually order a brain MRI scan to try and see what is going on up there.

What Your Brain MRI Results Will Show

The results of your brain MRI will first have to be studied and analyzed by a trained radiologist and your healthcare provider. However, there are some general aspects of brain MRI results that we can share here.

What Does A Brain MRI Show?

A brain MRI can reveal problems with the brain’s structure, such as tumors, inflammation, and swelling. 

It can also show any bleeding, infections, damage from injury, or a stroke and help healthcare providers look for the causes of seizures or headaches.

How Are Abnormalities Identified On A Brain MRI?

On a brain MRI scan, abnormalities or lesions appear as dark or light spots that don’t look like normal brain tissue. 

Healthcare providers look for differences in tissue density, shape, size, and contrast to detect anomalies such as tumors, lesions, hemorrhages, or structural abnormalities.

Why Should I Take The Time To Discuss My Brain MRI Results With My Healthcare Provider?

As it may affect your health, one of the most important things you can do is to take the time to fully discuss your brain MRI results with your healthcare provider. 

Some of the terminology can be very technical, so make sure to ask your healthcare provider to answer your questions in a way you can fully understand.

Discussing Your Brain MRI Results With Your Healthcare Provider

You’ve had a brain MRI scan and now your healthcare provider is ready to discuss the results of that scan with you. Let’s examine what that situation may look like.

What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About My Brain MRI Results?

In case your brain MRI scan shows an abnormality, here are some questions you can ask your healthcare provider: 

• What type of treatment do you recommend? 
• When can we start treatment? 
• Are there other treatment options available? 
• What is your experience in treating patients with the same condition? 
• Where can I find more information about my condition? 
• Are there any lifestyle changes I need to make?

How can I understand the medical terminology used in my MRI results?

Healthcare terminology can sometimes be very difficult to understand, so be very direct with your healthcare provider. 

If there is something you don’t fully understand, ask them to explain in a way you can understand. It can also help if you do some research about the terms you don’t understand. 

Remember that it’s a learning process.

What your brain MRI results could mean about your healthcare

The results of your brain MRI may show that everything appears normal with your brain. However, if your provider sees an area of concern, the approach may need to be adjusted to deal with the issue.

How Will My Healthcare Provider Use My MRI Results To Inform My Care?

Brain MRI results are tools healthcare providers use to help you get better. 

Using the results, your healthcare provider will design the best healthcare plan for you going forward. 

That plan may involve therapy, treatment, different medications, and sometimes surgery, or a combination of different types of care.

What Are The Most Common Benign Findings On A Brain MRI?

Research shows that the most common benign findings in a brain MRI include small areas of bleeding often seen in older individuals, and areas of increased signal intensity commonly found in older adults, often related to small vessel disease. 

Other benign findings are pineal cysts (fluid-filled sacs located in the pineal gland), and arachnoid cysts (fluid-filled sacs located between the brain or spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane). These are usually asymptomatic. 

Choroid plexus cysts (benign cysts found in the choroid plexus of the brain) may be found, as well as spaces around blood vessels in the brain, which are typically normal but can become enlarged with age

Other benign findings may include sinus mucosal thickening, an enlarged pituitary gland, or small cysts in the brain parenchyma.

It’s important to note that while these findings are common and usually benign, it’s best to defer to a qualified healthcare provider for analysis.

What Role Does A Brain MRI Play To Diagnose And Monitor Cognitive Conditions Like Alzheimer’s Disease?

A brain MRI plays a vital role in the early detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of cognitive conditions. That’s because an MRI provides detailed images without the use of ionizing radiation, making it a safer option for repeated scans, over time.

To monitor your health, follow-up MRI scans can provide vital information on how a disease is advancing, and how your body is responding to treatment. 

This monitoring is essential for healthcare providers to adjust treatment plans, as needed, and to offer the best possible care for individuals with cognitive conditions.

For conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, MRI scans are instrumental in identifying changes in brain size, structure, and function. They can reveal the presence of brain atrophy, particularly in the hippocampus and other areas vital for memory and cognition, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s progression.

What Signs On A Brain MRI Indicate Serious Conditions Like A Tumor Or A Stroke?

On a brain MRI, signs of serious conditions like tumors or strokes may include:

• Tumor: irregular masses or lesions, areas of abnormal enhancement (highlighted by contrast dye), distortion of brain structures, edema (swelling), and displacement of surrounding tissues.

• Stroke: areas of restricted blood flow (ischemia), loss of brain tissue volume, and changes in signal intensity in affected regions.

These signs are typically identified by radiologists who interpret brain MRI scans, and they may vary depending on the specific type and location of the tumor or stroke.

What Happens After You Get Your Brain MRI Results?

After your brain MRI scan and you receive the results, it is important to know what the next steps are. Your healthcare provider will discuss these steps with you.

How Are Brain MRI Results Used To Guide Treatment Or Management Decisions?

If a problem is found, healthcare providers will use the results of the MRI to develop a care plan going forward. 

This may include further tests, consultations with other healthcare specialists, or various other treatment plans.

If My Healthcare Provider Finds Something Irregular On My Brain MRI, What Follow-Up Studies Could They Recommend?

If your healthcare provider finds something irregular on your brain MRI, they may recommend other imaging tests to help better assess the issue, or they may recommend getting a follow-up brain MRI at a later date to study any changes. 

They may also recommend a biopsy, and then combine the findings of the brain MRI with the biopsy results from the laboratory.

Why Would My Healthcare Provider Recommend A Follow-Up Brain MRI?

Things change over time. This may be true with any abnormality found in your brain. 

Many times, healthcare providers want their patients to have a follow-up brain MRI so they can judge if there has been any significant change with the issue over a period of time. 

This will help them develop the best plan of care for you.

How To Schedule An Appointment With Us

Our goal is to offer you and your healthcare provider the most informative results possible, and we make it easy for you to get an appointment. 

With numerous locations across South Jersey, you’ll find us conveniently located near major highways and key bridges in the region. 

We’ll ensure the entire scheduling process is as effortless as possible for you. Above all, we are here to help you.

Reach out to us at any of the following locations to book an appointment:

• Marlton (Greentree) Office – Marlton, NJ
• Medford Office – Medford, NJ
• Moorestown Office – Moorestown, NJ
• Mount Laurel Office – Mount Laurel, NJ
• Route 73 (Voorhees) Office – Voorhees Township, NJ
• Turnersville Office – Turnersville, NJ
• Voorhees (Carnie Boulevard) Office – Voorhees Township, NJ
• Sewell (Washington Township) Office – Sewell, NJ
• West Deptford Office – West Deptford, NJ
• Willingboro Office – Willingboro, NJ

Learn more about the board-certified, subspecialized radiologists who read, analyze and interpret the findings here at South Jersey Radiology Associates.