Cerebral edema - possibilities of magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

There are problems in medicine, the relevance and importance of which not only does not decrease over time, but also steadily increases. These include edema and swelling of the brain. The enduring interest in this issue of neurosurgeons, resuscitators, neurologists and neuroradiologists is dictated by the great scientific and practical significance of cerebral edema for the clinic. Before the advent of imaging techniques - CT and MRI - the presence of cerebral edema was postulated. The methods of his research were: assessment of clinical manifestations, laboratory methods (dynamics of electrolyte and protein balance, etc.), instrumental (EEG, rheoencephalography, radioisotope) and pathological studies (light, electron microscopy and histochemical analysis). Appearance in the 70s of the XX century. CT allowed us to identify areas of edema as areas of decreased density, mainly due to intercellular accumulation of fluid. Today, the main method for diagnosing and studying cerebral edema is MRI. Modern MRI methods - diffusion, diffusion tensor MRI and MR spectroscopy are actively being introduced into clinical practice, proving their promise.