fMRI

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, also known as fMRI, is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging tool that maps different areas of the brain. This leading-edge brain mapping technology captures thousands of pictures of the brain in an MRI scanner to pinpoint the locations of the brain’s most essential functions such as movement, language and memory. FMRI plots these functions by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygen levels while the patient is asked to answer a series of questions and perform tasks that utilize specific brain functions.

Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the first hospitals in the area to offer clinical fMRI. The hospital’s recently installed 3 Tesla Magnet (3T Magnet), which offers high-quality, detailed images, coupled with new imaging protocols, mean that patients now have a safe, non-invasive alternative to traditional intraoperative brain mapping surgery and the Wada test.

Patients who may have a brain tumor, epilepsy, a movement disorder, an arteriovenous malformation or who have had a stroke can benefit from this sophisticated technology, which can be utilized by neurosurgeons prior to and during neurosurgery procedures and also for the evaluation of neurological deficits.