What this modality answers
- Brain disease: inflammatory, vascular, neoplastic and congenital patterns, with lesion location and mass effect.
- Spinal cord disease: intervertebral disc extrusion and protrusion, compressive lesions, cord signal change.
- Soft tissue and musculoskeletal questions where radiographs and CT leave the tissue character unresolved.
- Surgical planning where the exact level and side of a lesion determine the approach.
When to send a study
- A patient shows neurologic signs that localize to brain or spinal cord.
- An acutely non-ambulatory patient needs a surgical decision.
- Cross-sectional imaging shows a soft tissue lesion that needs better characterization.
- A previous study was equivocal and the plan has stalled.
What to include when you submit
- Submit every sequence acquired as DICOM, in all planes, including pre- and post-contrast series.
- Include the neurologic examination and the anatomic localization you reached.
- Note anesthesia events or motion during acquisition that may affect specific sequences.
- State the clinical question plainly, such as the level you need assessed.
Standard, STAT or Wet Read
STAT MR studies are returned within 4 hours. Standard studies are returned within 24 hours. Wet Read is the fastest option, read while you wait, focused on the targeted questions submitted with the case.
The priority is chosen case by case at submission, and every case is read by an ACVR- or ECVDI-certified radiologist. Reports place the prioritized diagnoses and recommendations first, followed by the comprehensive findings, and each case carries Real-Time Chat so a question reaches the reading radiologist in seconds. More detail is in the guide to choosing a priority.
Frequently asked questions
Which sequences should be included?
Submit everything acquired. A radiologist compares signal across sequences to characterize a lesion, so a study missing its post-contrast or fluid-sensitive series limits what can be concluded.
Is a neurologic examination needed with the study?
It changes the read materially. The examination tells the radiologist where the clinical signs localize, which focuses attention on the relevant level and helps separate incidental change from the lesion causing the signs.
Can MR studies be submitted as STAT?
Yes. STAT MR studies are returned within 4 hours, and every case, STAT or not, is read by an ACVR- or ECVDI-certified radiologist.
What if the study was degraded by motion?
Note it when submitting. The report will state where image quality limits interpretation rather than implying a confidence the images do not support.