Elmira Roshani Asl - Department of Biochemistry, Saveh University of Medical Sciences, Saveh, Iran.
Shirin Barati - Department of Anatomy, Saveh University of Medical Sciences, Saveh, Iran.

Background and objectives: Medical imaging plays a crucial role in the management of patients with brain tumors. The computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are two methods of imaging internal body parts. CT scans use X-rays while MRI scans use strong magnets and radio waves. The technical improvement of CT and MRI with the development of, new imaging techniques strongly improved the characterization and detection of brain tumors. Therefore, in the present study, we review the application of CT versus MRI for assessment of brain tumors.Materials and methods: We searched PubMed and PHMC databases, Google Scholar, Clinical Trials and other Database for study the articles in CT and MRI fields.Results: According to the results of the study, there was no statistically significant difference between CT and MRI for detection of number, distribution, margins and nature of the lesions, zone of transition, cortical breach, intralesional calcification, intralesional hemorrhage, associated soft tissue, and invasion into brain parenchyma (p value > ۰.۰۵ in all these parameters). Dural involvement was picked up better on MRI as compared to CT (p value ۰.۰۳۱). Another advantage of MRI over CT was better characterization of lesions by diffusion weighted imaging.Conclusion: The results showed that CT and MRI are equally efficient in providing adequate diagnostic information in various skull lesions and each of them can be used independent of the other to characterize and diagnose the lesions of skull. The small advantage of MRI over CT is evaluation of dural involvement.

Brain Tumor, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging