[Consideration of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) in neuroradiology]

The purpose of the study was to present, on the basis of literature data, the possibility of examination of the central nervous system by means of magnetic nuclear resonance. Advantages and limitations of the method are described in cases of brain tumours, white matter diseases, parasitic diseases and vascular changes, inflammatory processes as well as dys-histogenesis. The main advantage of the method which will make its future use particularly wide-spread is the fact that it eliminates exposure to ionizing radiation, makes possible determination of the character of the tissue based on the content of hydrogen nucleus in a given area, and enables differentiation to be made of the tissues with different interatomic bonds, that is those which contain different chemical compounds. Diagnostic potential of computed tomography, ultrasonography, magnetic nuclear resonance, emission tomography and subtraction angiography have been compared. The hazards associated with clinical application of NMR technique are also discussed.