Health technology assessment of magnetic resonance.

MR imaging has established itself as a reliable means of imaging pathology in many different regions of the body without the disadvantage of ionizing radiation. There was also hope that MRI might replace not only CT but also more invasive imaging techniques. Until now the substitution, especially that of CT has been less than expected. To evaluate the possible substitution of CT by MR imaging, it is paramount to have high quality evidence regarding the efficacy of MRI. This was collected by performing a systematic search of the available literature using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. The retrieved articles were classified according to the different levels of diagnostic efficacy as described by Fryback and Thornbury. Based on the available studies and the quality assessment, a level of evidence is attributed for the diagnostic efficacy of MRI in each indication.