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When we go to the hospital for different reasons, so many tests are done such as blood tests, imaging tests, and more. They’re required to obtain detailed results about your problem. And when it comes to understanding the problem, some differences occur. And one of them is the difference between MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography).
To sum up, both MRI scan and CT scan are two different medical imaging techniques that are used to see the inside of the patients; organs such as the neck, brain, liver, etc. - mostly the soft tissues. They’re used for diagnostic imaging for various problems & diseases.
In this article, we will do a comparison to see the distinctions between MRI and CT along with telling about the advantages and disadvantages, and many more about this imaging technology.
Comparing MRI and CT Scan: Key Distinctions
Both MRI scan and CT scan are used to visualize the inside of the body parts. However, they offer different features and we will compare them for now. Here is a comparison:
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) offers non-radiation treatment. It uses a huge magnetic field and radio waves.
- CT (Computed Tomography) offers treatment that includes radiation; it ionizes the radiation.
- MRI is good to visualize soft tissues, muscles, organs, etc.
- CT is good to visualize bones, fractures, and skeleton systems.
- MRI provides a detailed image of the soft tissues.
- CT provides high-resolution images with lots of detail.
MRI and CT Scan Technology
Both MRI and CT Scan are detailed medical imaging technologies that offer visualization of the inside of the body by using different methods and techniques in terms of radiology. They both offer images of the body parts, and each specializes in different areas mentioned previously. They both use different technologies to offer highly-detailed pictures of different parts. MRI scan and CT can be used to detect any abnormalities and in some cases, may be helpful to early diagnosis of diseases such as cancers and tumors. They can be found in healthcare facilities, but doing some research may be required.
Advantages and Disadvantages: MRI vs. CT Scan
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography) scans offer advantages and disadvantages at the same time. Let’s take a look at similarities and differences between MRI and CT scan together:
- MRI scan offers the images in multiple planes so that the image can be researched from different perspectives while CT can provide even the trauma or little details about the area of the patient.
- MRI scan is highly good for detecting spinal cord problems since it provides great images of the soft tissue while a CT scan is excellent for imagining of the bones.
- MRI scan is expensive and not all healthcare facilities have an MRI system when compared to the CT scan which can be considered affordable and can be mostly found in healthcare facilities.
- MRI scan is a period that can take up to one hour and this may be not good for some patients when compared to the CT.
