Lea Alhilali, MD Profile picture
Oct 4, 2022 18 tweets 10 min read Read on X
1/Ready for some heavy lifting? My second #tweetorial on the BRACHIAL PLEXUS! This time we cover how the #brachialplexus looks on #MRI.

#medtwitter #meded #neurosurgery #orthotwitter #orthopedics #neurorad #radres #medstudent #FOAMed #FOAMrad #spine #radiology #neurotwitter Image
2/Brachial plexus is how the cervical nerves reach the arm. In the coronal plane, it looks like a slide, guiding nerves downward. Bc nerves are traveling laterally, sagittal MRI plane is our plane of choice to cut the nerves in cross section & see down the barrel of the nerves Image
3/But it’s more than a slide, it’s a complex highway, w/nerves joining & dividing—like highway off ramps & on ramps. If you want to know more about this intrinsic anatomy, see my first brachial plexus tweetorial here: Image
4/The most medial sagittal cut, right after the neural foramina, shows us the roots (Remember Rad Techs Drink Cold Beer). In the sagittal plane, the roots look like the rungs of a ladder. This makes sense, bc we are climbing up the ladder of the slide to go down to the arm Image
5/The anatomic landmark for the roots is the 1st rib head. I remember this bc the roots are closest to the CNS or HEAD, so they are by the rib HEAD. The roots together w/the rib head make the ladder look like a folding ladder, w/the rib head supporting the ladder root rungs Image
6/Here are the roots on a sagittal MRI—ladder rungs are the roots, supported like a folding ladder by the first rib head. Image
7/Next are the trunks. Trunks on sagittal MRI are easy—they are arranged like, wait for it…a tree TRUNK. They are right behind the subclavian artery, which looks like a little shrub in front of the tree trunk. Image
8/There are 2 anatomic landmarks for the trunks. Trunks are at the posterior 1st rib & in between the scalene muscles. The rib & the scalene look like an A-frame house, one that people often have for cabins in the woods. So you have trees & bushes in front of a A-frame cabin. Image
9/Here are the trunks on a sagittal MRI, with the trunks looking like, well, trunks & the scalene muscles making the A-frame cabin in the woods in the background. Image
10/Next is the divisions. I remember what these look like on sagittal images by remembering that DIVISIONS are DIVINE /DRESSY—all w/the letter D. They look like a fancy hair updo on top of the subclavian artery head. Image
11/The anatomic landmark for the divisions is the clavicle. The divisions sit BEHIND the clavicle. I remember this bc Victorian ladies with fancy updos will have fans that they hide their face behind. Similarly, the divisions hide behind the clavicle. Image
12/Here are the divisions on a sagittal MRI, they are clumped together like a fancy bun above the head of the subclavian. The clavicle is in front of them, allowing them to keep their Victorian modesty from the prying eyes of men Image
13/Next are the cords. The subclavian artery and the cords are organized so they look like a paw print. I remember this bc both Cord and Cat start w/C. So cords make a cat claw print. Image
14/Anatomic landmark for the cords is the coracoid. Cords are underneath the coracoid. I remember this bc Cats who make the paw prints are always hiding under something like a couch. So the cords hide under the coracoid. I remember it’s the CORacoid bc cats hide when CORnered Image
15/Here are the cords on a sagittal MRI, with the paw print hiding underneath the coracoid process above it. Image
16/Last are the branches. In the sagittal plane, the subclavian artery together w/the branches looks like a fat beetle with four legs. I remember this bc Branches and Beetle, or Bug, all start w/B. Image
17/Here are the branches on sagittal MRI, w/the subclavian artery as fat body of the beetle and the branches as the beetle’s arms. Image
18/You can remember this w/an old fashioned fairy tale--about a house in the woods, home to a divine but shy princess. She had a cat that hid under things & ate all bugs in the home, bc no princess wants bugs! Now you know the imaging anatomy. Next tweetorial will be pathology! Image

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More from @teachplaygrub

Jun 30
1/Time is brain! But what time is it?

If you don’t know the time of stroke onset, are you able to deduce it from imaging?

Here’s a thread to help you date a stroke on MRI! Image
2/Strokes evolve, or grow old, the same way people evolve or grow old.

The appearance of stroke on imaging mirrors the life stages of a person—you just have to change days for a stroke into years for a person

So 15 day old stroke has features of a 15 year old person, etc. Image
3/Initially (less than 4-6 hrs), the only finding is restriction (brightness) on diffusion imaging (DWI).

You can remember this bc in the first few months, a baby does nothing but be swaddled or restricted. So early/newly born stroke is like a baby, only restricted Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 27
1/”I LOVE spinal cord syndromes!” is a phrase that has NEVER, EVER been said by anyone.

Do you become paralyzed when you see cord signal abnormality?

Never fear—here is a thread on all the incomplete spinal cord syndromes to get you moving again! Image
2/Spinal cord anatomy can be complex. On imaging, we can see the ant & post nerve roots. We can also see the gray & white matter. Hidden w/in the white matter, however, are numerous efferent & afferent tracts—enough to make your head spin. Image
3/Lucky for you, for the incomplete cord syndromes, all you need to know is gray matter & 3 main tracts. Anterolaterally, spinothalamic tract (pain & temp). Posteriorly, dorsal columns (vibration, proprioception, & light touch), & next to it, corticospinal tracts—providing motor Image
Read 20 tweets
Jun 23
1/Do you get a Broca’s aphasia trying remember the location of Broca's area?

Does trying to remember inferior frontal gyrus anatomy leave you speechless?

Don't be at a loss for words when it comes to Broca's area

Here’s a 🧵to help you remember the anatomy of this key region! Image
2/Anatomy of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is best seen on the sagittal images, where it looks like the McDonald’s arches.

So, to find this area on MR, I open the sagittal images & scroll until I see the arches. When it comes to this method of finding the IFG, i’m lovin it. Image
3/Inferior frontal gyrus also looks like a sideways 3, if you prefer. This 3 is helpful bc the inferior frontal gyrus has 3 parts—called pars Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 19
1/Feeling intoxicated trying to remember all the findings in alcohol use disorder?!

Here’s something to put you in high spirits!

This month’s @Radiographics has the important neuroimaging findings alcohol use disorder!



@cookyscan1 @RadG_editor #RGphx pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/rg…Image
2/There’s an easy rhyme to help you remember the important neuroimaging findings of alcohol use disorder

“Basal ganglia is white...”

Get intrinsic T1 shortening in the BG that makes it look white as a ghost! Image
3/Next “...Cortex is bright”

Acute hyperammonemic encephalopathy cause cortical restricted diffusion, especially the insula, so that it looks as bright as a light bulb! Image
Read 8 tweets
Jun 9
1/Need help reading spine imaging? I’ve got your back!

It’s as easy as ABC!

A thread about an easy mnemonic you can use on every single spine study you see to increase your speed & make sure you never miss a thing! Image
2/A is for alignment

Look for:
(1) Unstable injuries

(2) Malalignment that causes early degenerative change. Abnormal motion causes spinal elements to abnormally move against each other, like grinding teeth wears down teeth—this wears down the spine Image
3/B is for bones.

On CT, the most important thing to look for w/bones is fractures. You may see focal bony lesions, but you may not

On MR, it is the opposite—you can see marrow lesions easily but you may or may not see edema associated w/fractures if the fracture is subtle Image
Read 11 tweets
Jun 6
1/Raise your hand if you’re confused by the BRACHIAL PLEXUS!

I could never seem to remember or understand it—but now I do & I’ll show you how!

A thread so you will never fear brachial plexus anatomy again! Image
2/Everyone has a mnemonic to remember brachial plexus anatomy.

I’m a radiologist, so I remember one about Rad Techs.

But just remembering the names & their order isn’t enough.

That is just the starting point--let’s really understand it Image
3/From the mnemonic, we start with the roots—the cervical nerve roots.

I remember which roots make up the brachial plexus by remembering that it supplies the hand.

You have 5 fingers on your hand so we start with C5 & we take 5 nerve roots (C5-T1). Image
Read 20 tweets

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