Mri vs mra?!
Question: what is the difference between MRI and MRA?
Answers: what is the difference between MRI and MRA?
MRAs (magnetic resonance angiography) are most often done on the brain, or carotid arteries in the neck. A brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) will show brain tissue, ventricles, the orbits, the internal auditory canals, the pituitary gland, and even the sinus cavities. A brain MRA will only show the vessels of the brain. All of the other anatomy is not shown. A MRA is used to look for an aneurysm or AVM.
If you are referring to the vessels in the neck....a neck MRI will show the spinal canal, intervertebral disc spaces, and soft tissues such as thyroid gland. A neck MRA is used to visualize the carotid arteries only.
As a patient, the procedure is the same for a MRI and MRA....we use the same machine and you are positioned in the same coil (or camera).
Here is a Brain MRA image:
http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/images/d...
This is a Brain MRI image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/22...
For more general information about MRAs, this is a patient resource site:
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of imaging study.
Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is similar but is focused on imaging blood vessels.
What body part are you specifically concerned about?