MRI Artifacts in Clinical Practice: Recognition, Pitfalls, and Practical Solutions

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is integral to modern clinical practice owing to its superior soft-tissue contrast. However, the complexity of MRI physics predisposes examinations to numerous artifacts that may mimic pathology, obscure disease, or lead to misinterpretation in routine clinical settings. Failure to recognize these artifacts can result in diagnostic error, unnecessary additional imaging, or inappropriate clinical management. This practical review categorizes commonly encountered MRI artifacts by underlying mechanisms and highlights their typical imaging appearances across routine clinical applications. Emphasis is placed on differentiating artifacts from true pathology and on providing actionable strategies for artifact recognition, troubleshooting, and prevention during image acquisition and interpretation. By integrating imaging examples with clinically relevant explanations of the underlying physics, this review aims to equip practicing radiologists and trainees with a structured approach to confidently identify misleading findings and improve diagnostic accuracy in everyday practice.