What's the Proper Imaging for Migraines?

What's the Proper Imaging for Migraines? (1:12)

An MRI is a better test for migraines than a CAT scan because it doesn't have radiation exposure and takes excellent picture of soft tissue of the brain, says Emily Rubenstein Engel, MD, of the Dalessio Headache Center at Scripps Clinic.

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It's really unfortunate that so many patients wear thing with a normal exam, but a very typical story for migraine. They've had migraines for 20 years and they come into urgent care with a bad migraine and they get a CAT-scan on the head. The problem with that is too faulted. Number one, cat scan actually does not image the brain tissue very well so if you are worried about a tumor, they might not show it.

Secondly, CAT scan exposes you to quite a bit of radiation it's not benign test, so if I have a patient where I'm worried and they might have a tumor or anualism I send them for MRI. MRI it's not explicit to any radiation is perfectly safe and it takes an excellent picture of the soft tissue of the brain.

So why are we still doing the cancer treatment? Well, old halets are hard to break, why are we still dying as the migraines are in cinegenic, it's a shame but it's practiced.