An MRI scan provides images of soft tissue of the body like your heart, lungs, liver and other organs that don’t show up clearly using x-ray examinations. An MRI can help your doctor evaluate the structure and the function of many of your organs. Your doctor might recommend an MRI scan to diagnose and evaluate brain aneurysms or brain tumours. It provides a provisional diagnosis (possible diagnosis that isn't supported by evidence yet) to identify the type of brain lesion, and if you have suffered a stroke, an MRI scan can find the location of the block or bleeding in the brain that has caused the stroke. It also provides a diagnostic test to review the structural causes of epilepsy.
An MRI scan provides a safer and non-invasive alternative to x-ray angiography for the diagnosis of diseases of the heart and the brain. Injuries to soft tissues, joints and to the spine can be found and studied using MRI. This scan also helps in planning and preparing certain surgeries including awake craniotomy (brain surgery to remove brain lesions) and deep brain stimulation surgery.