Image tests for vertigo

Image tests, such as CT and MRI scans, can help rule out stroke, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, or head injury as the cause of vertigo.

A computed tomography (CT) scan looks at an area of the body by sending precise X-ray beams, one right after another, through specific layers, or planes. A computer processes the many separate "slices" of images into detailed pictures of the body's internal structure. For more information, see CT Scan of the Head and Face.

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is a massive cylinder-shaped magnet. The person lies inside the scanner, where the body is exposed to a strong magnetic field and pulses of low-energy radio waves. This causes the cells in the person's body to emit signals, depending on the type of tissue they are part of (such as bone, organs, or tumors). A computer processes the signals to produce detailed pictures of the body's internal structure. For more information, see MRI of the Head.