Motion artifact
Read Your Scan Editorial Team·Last updated
Written from published radiology references and reviewed for plain language. Not written or signed by a physician, and not a diagnosis. How we write these pages →
In plain language
Blurring or ghosting caused by movement during the scan — breathing, swallowing, a heartbeat, or simply not being able to hold still. It is a fault in the picture, not a finding in you, though a bad enough one can hide something real.
Where you’ll see this
The technique section or a caveat in the impression, on MRI and CT.
Your report may word it “Motion degradation” or “Respiratory motion artifact”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Was any part of the scan unreadable because of this?
- Does it need to be repeated, and if so how soon?
- Could this have hidden something, or only made the pictures look odd?
Picture problems, not body problems
Where this word comes up
See this word on your own scan
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