Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is integral to modern clinical practice owing to its superior soft-tissue contrast. However, the complexity of MRI physics predisposes examinations to numerous artifacts that may mimic pathology, obscure disease, or lead to misinterpretation in routine clinical settings. Failure to recognize these artifacts can result in diagnostic error, unnecessary additional imaging, or inappropriate clinical management. This practical review categorizes commonly encountered MRI artifacts by underlying mechanisms and highlights their typical imaging appearances across routine clinical applications. Emphasis is placed on differentiating artifacts from true pathology and on providing actionable strategies for artifact recognition, troubleshooting, and prevention during image acquisition and interpretation. By integrating imaging examples with clinically relevant explanations of the underlying physics, this review aims to equip practicing radiologists and trainees with a structured approach to confidently identify misleading findings and improve diagnostic accuracy in everyday practice.

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) has emerged as the primary imaging tool for multifocal inflammatory and infectious musculoskeletal diseases. By extending coverage from the vertex to the toes in a single, radiation-free examination, WBMRI enables the detection of clinically occult lesions, disease-specific pattern recognition across bone marrow, joints, entheses, and muscles, and objective monitoring of disease activity and treatment response. This review describes the WBMRI findings-with detailed imaging features and distribution patterns-in chronic nonbacterial osteitis, SAPHO syndrome, seronegative spondyloarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and fever of unknown origin, with emphasis on validated quantitative scoring tools, disease-specific acquisition protocols, and structured reporting strategies for the practicing radiologist. WBMRI provides unique clinical value by mapping total lesion burden, supporting differential diagnosis, identifying biopsy targets, and tracking treatment response. Disease-specific protocols-tailored to the pathophysiological target of each condition-are essential for maximizing diagnostic yield. Quantitative scoring tools and advanced MRI sequences may improve the characterization of disease burden and longitudinal assessment.

Neurocutaneous syndromes associated with peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs), particularly neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and schwannomatosis (SWN), are characterized by variable tumor burden and multisystem involvement. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) has emerged as an important imaging technique for screening, surveillance, lesion characterization, and treatment monitoring in both pediatric and adult populations. Updated molecular and imaging-based classification systems have further refined characterization of PNST phenotypes. In NF1, WB-MRI enables detection of internal tumor burden, longitudinal assessment of plexiform neurofibromas (PNs), and risk stratification for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) development. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping improves differentiation between benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors with emerging data on premalignant precursor lesions called atypical neurofibromatous neoplasms of uncertain biologic potential (ANNUBP). In SWN, evolving diagnostic criteria and genotype-phenotype correlations have increased the importance of imaging in young patients presenting with solitary schwannoma or meningioma. WB-MRI can establish internal tumor burden, define disease extent, and support surveillance strategies across genetically defined SWN subtypes. This review summarizes current applications of WB-MRI in NF1 and SWN, including imaging phenotypes, surveillance strategies, advanced imaging biomarkers, treatment response assessment, and common technical and interpretive pitfalls.

Multiparametric whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) is an advanced cross-sectional imaging technique that integrates anatomic sequences into functional modalities, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping and Dixon-based imaging. WB-MRI can evaluate the body from the vertex to the feet in a single session, offering advantages such as generating important biomarkers, robust musculoskeletal tissue assessment, high signal-to-noise ratio, and speed optimization, among others. This review examines current evidence and provides recommendations for multiparametric WB-MRI across a broad spectrum of oncologic and nononcologic indications, including multiple myeloma, lymphoma, melanoma, metastatic prostate cancer, cancer predisposition syndromes, MSK tumors, inflammatory arthritis, and diffuse neuromuscular disorders. Readers will gain an understanding of key technical considerations, including field strength selection, coil configuration, sequence design, and protocol optimization, that radiologists must navigate when implementing WB-MRI in clinical practice. Emerging applications such as AI-assisted lesion segmentation, automated quantitative biomarker analysis, and accelerated image reconstruction are also discussed, which spotlight the evolving role of WB-MRI in disease characterization and the following treatment response. As protocols become more standardized and evidence continues to grow, this review equips radiologists with a practical framework for incorporating multiparametric WB-MRI into contemporary clinical and research settings.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the established gold standard for the staging of primary bone tumors; however, conventional protocols typically use a site-specific model supplemented by ionizing radiation for systemic screening. Recent advancements in whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) have enabled a "marrow-first" diagnostic approach, allowing for the comprehensive assessment of the primary intraosseous lesion and the entire skeleton in a single, radiation-free study. Technical developments, including Dixon fat suppression and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), have significantly enhanced the detection of occult skip metastases, which occur in ∼7.5% of high-grade osteosarcomas and 4.5% of Ewing sarcomas. Beyond malignant staging, WB-MRI offers distinct advantages for the longitudinal surveillance of syndromic conditions such as Ollier disease and hereditary multiple exostoses, where it facilitates a shift toward patient-initiated, symptom-led monitoring. Despite these advances, challenges remain, specifically the "chest gap" in pulmonary nodule detection and the potential for false positives from hematopoietic marrow mimics. This review discusses the technical principles, clinical applications, and diagnostic pitfalls of WB-MRI in bone tumors, emphasizing its role in optimizing staging accuracy while minimizing cumulative radiation exposure.