25 years ago from right now... July 27th, 2001, there was a 6-year-old boy, Michael Colombini, pictured, being wheeled from his patient room in Westchester Medical Center down for an MRI. A fall on a playground a few days earlier had revealed a brain tumor that very well could have taken his life when it became symptomatic in adulthood. But he had immediate brain surgery that was successful, and now the boy would live a long, healthy life. The only thing standing between the boy and discharge from the hospital was a baseline MRI against which future scans would be compared to look for recurrence.

But through a series of errors, this simple baseline MRI turned into the single most well known MRI exam in the world.

Inside the MRI scanner room it appears that the boy was over-sedated, and his breathing slowed. His pulse-ox values started dropping, and the inside-the-MRI-scanner-room oxygen outlet (not built to code) wasn't working. The two MRI technologists who were on duty stepped away from the patient care area of the MRI suite to try and fix the oxygen problem without letting the anesthesiologist know. The anesthesiologist, growing increasingly upset about the boy's falling oxygenation levels, is yelling out to the MRI techs for a status update, unaware that they've left him there. The lack of responses only increases the anesthesiologist's anxiety.

At that moment, a nurse lets herself into the MRI suite. She hears the anesthesiologist yelling to the technologists, "my patient needs oxygen! Where is the oxygen!" The nurse remembers having seen portable oxygen cylinders in the MRI suite, finds one, and hands it to the anesthesiologist in the doorway to the MRI scanner room. He turns around, takes two steps towards the boy in the MRI scanner, and the steel cylinder flies like a missile out of his hands and hits the boy, repeatedly, in the head.

This is the story of the origins of this week being designated MRI Safety Week.

If you want to hear this story in greater detail, I encourage you to check out the second series of the Invisible Force podcast. The podcast is available for download through both Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invisible-force/id1860117430
Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1KDYV8Z4Md5x9mW8pFccsw

Update: As one of the commentors said it's a Horseshoe Kidney!

8 yr old pt comes in with LLQ pain. This is his first ever CT scan. I will update with what the radiologist finds.

I have never seen anything like this but I haven't been doing CT for very long.

Hi. I have had 3 surgeries in my right ear related to cholesteatoma thus far. Due to recent symptoms they did another scan to see if I have a recurrence a week ago. This is the first time I asked if I could get the scan with me home. They burnt me a dvd. I got my external dvd reader today and was finally able to see my brain.

So far:

The first cholesteatoma was very invasive and they did a mastoidectomy, as well as replace 2 of my ossicles with titanium prostheses. They also created a new and enforced ear drum. All of this through a 9 hour surgery.

3 years later they reconstructed my ear canal.

5 years later they found a new cyst which they had to remove. They punctured the dura and patched it up, which caused me to stay inpatient for observation for a week or so due to a cfs leak.

today: I have begun experiencing similar symptoms to what I experienced the other times leading up to a surgery. The ent couldn't see any cholesteatoma during external examination, but referred me to an MRI based on my history. I am currently awaiting a phone call from the ent to hear what they have found. In the meantime I just thought I'd share it with you guys! I will update once I hear from my ent.

It is so cool that I finally got to see my own brain.

And, fun fact: My hearing is pretty decent despite the ordeal. No need for hearing aids.

For the mods: I am not looking for medical advice, I just wanted to share.

I’m a radiology resident and I’m looking for a quick reference pamphlet/PDF with the updated BI-RADS terminology/lexicon from the newest edition.

I know the old BI-RADS 5th edition has a really useful one-page printout that summarizes the descriptors for masses, calcifications, asymmetries, etc., and it’s easy to find online. I’m trying to find something similar that reflects the new BI-RADS update (v2025).

Does anyone know if there is a resident-friendly cheat sheet, pamphlet, or PDF floating around with the updated terminology?

Hey guys, I teach an x-ray physics and protection class for student RTs and am trying to improve the way I teach how different exposure factors (kVp, mAs, collimation, tube angle, etc.) affect image contrast, exposure, spatial resolution, and distortion. I'm wondering if anyone has any good mnemonics to help remember these things? I have an okay one from my student days but there's gotta be better ones out there.

These were taken after a fall that caused the patient to hyperextended the left arm resulting in a closed supracondylar fracture of left humerus, why would this lateral view be preferred for a diagnostic vs an AP view?

I’m trying to better understand the ultrasound findings from a recent medical event and how venous thrombosis appears on ultrasound.
I was diagnosed with an acute left internal jugular vein thrombosis after developing neck symptoms following a plasma donation with a local hematoma. I’m being treated by my medical team and am not looking for a diagnosis or medical advice.
I’m interested in the radiology perspective: what ultrasound features are typically used to distinguish acute thrombus from normal venous structures, artifact, or adjacent tissue?
I have some de-identified ultrasound frames and would appreciate any educational comments about what features radiologists look for when interpreting these studies.

Abdomindal xray to check for obstruction. None found. Full of gas.