What is Neuroimaging?
Neuroimaging is a branch of medical imaging which focuses on the brain. In addition to being used to diagnose disease and assess brain health, neuroimaging is also valuable in the study of the brain, how the brain works, and how various activities impact the brain. Many hospitals and research facilities have a neuroimaging department, which in small facilities may be bundled into the general medical imaging department. The capability to look inside the body with imaging equipment started with the development of X-Ray machines in the early 20th century, and grew by leaps and bounds in the 1960s and 1970s. New imaging technology is constantly being developed, along with new ways to use that technology. The field of neuroimaging has benefited immensely from advances in imaging technology which have allowed companies to develop machines which can probe into the complexities of the brain. There are two types of neuroimaging: functional and structural. Functional neuroimaging is focused on t
In most cases, neuroimaging studies do not need to be done immediately at the time of diagnosis if the patient’s condition has returned back to normal. In general, a CT or MRI scan should be obtained when a child or adult has had one or more seizures for which the cause is unknown. The following are a few examples of when a CT or MRI scan is necessary: • If the cause of the seizures is known but has the potential to change (for example, a benign tumor or a vascular malformation). • If an underlying structural cause is known, and well controlled seizures suddenly become uncontrolled • If the cause of seizures is suspected but indefinite (for example, a mild head injury) • If a person has had epilepsy for more than a decade, has a normal neurological examination and hasn’t had a scan in that decade.
