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Brain Scans: Exact Methods and Detailed Specifics

Brain scans are prescribed by physicians and specialists under exacting circumstances to provide the clearest information available. The scan is implemented based on prior patient history and examination, the method of scanning is clearly a matter of choice for the physician and is keyed to experience and the diagnostic requirements.

Often the route to brain scans begins with the electroencephalograph, the EEG. This long established method of registering human brain activities employs electrodes positioned on the scalp. The electrodes pick up small electric currents produced in the brain and then records these on moving graph paper. This allows the specialist to detect actions that are either normal or disturbed. Information detected can serve as indicators for other testing to follow.

One of the most frequently specified scanning methods is the CAT or CT. Often used in emergency room medicine to detect traumatic injuries, this scanning process provides many dimensional x-ray images of the brain or other internal organs. A computer will combine the images to offer exact 3-dimensional rendering.

Positron Emission Tomography, PET scans allow physicians to observe blood flow or obstruction in the brain. Well established as a tool for probing brain function, PET scans have assumed increased importance for their ability to trace metabolic change in cells and to identify cancerous growths. Combined with computers, PET scans allow radiologists and neuroscientists to examine cross-sectional slices of the brain.

MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is among the most frequently specified examination methods for the brain. And, is used for diagnosing many other diseases of the brain and carotid arteries without subjecting patients to injections or radiation. Offering both open MRI and traditional “chamber” technologies, the processes allow the patients body cells to respond to magnetic force. A computer then produces cross-sectional or 3-dimensional images for evaluation.