When Is Imaging Recommended for Headache Diagnosis?

An MRI, however, is a better test if meningeal disease or intracranial hypotension is suspected. An MRI reveals enhancement of the meninges that other tests might not show, said Dr. Frishberg. Low-grade gliomas and Chiari malformation “may not show up on a CT,” he added. An MRI also is a more sensitive method of detecting posterior fossa disease and carotid dissection.

MRA is usually not necessary in the evaluation of headache unless the physician is concerned about a vascular process, such as an aneurysm or stenosis of the carotid artery, which can cause constant headache in patients older than 65 or 70, said Dr. Frishberg.