Incidental Neuroradiological Findings with Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain and Spine: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Advanced radiological imaging technology allows detailed anatomical view for diagnosis of diseases. The prevalence of incidental Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings is relatively higher. Aim: To identify and describe the Incidental Findings (IF) in patients undergoing MRI brain and spine at a tertiary centre in Southern Rajasthan. India. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out for a period of months on patients referred to the Department of Radiodiagnosis for MRI brain and spine at Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, where report showed an incidental neuroradiological abnormality were included in the study. Patients were subjected to MRI machine (1.5 tesla SEIMENS-MAGNETOM Avanto OR 3 tesla GE SIGNA Architect) with T1 -T2 weighted sequences. Incidental MRI findings with provisional diagnosis and clinical history were recorded and analysed for prevalence and proportion of IF (along with age and anatomical location specific IF). After entering data into Microsoft Excel 365, it was analysed for prevalence and proportion of IF (also categorised by age and anatomical location of IF among patients). All the data were in number or percentage. Results: Total 49 patients had IF with an overall prevalence of 0.82%. Male: female ratio was 1.04:1. Mean age of patients was 47.6 +/- 29.03 years. Majority 29 (59.18%) patients were in age group 31-60 years. Most common IF noted was meningioma 13 (26.5%) and 10 out of 13 meningioma patients belonged to 31-60 years age group. Other findings like Glioma and pituitary macroadenoma were noted in 5 (10.2%) patients each. Total 22 (44.89%) patients had IF in supratentorial region of brain. Conclusion: Overall, low prevalence of IF was noted in the present study. Meningioma was one of the most common findings, especially among adults. Review of MRI scans by neuroradiologist, neurophysician and neurosurgeon for diagnosis of IF should be made mendatory.