The most common places a physician may use an MRI include: the brain, spinal cord, heart, blood vessels, liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, uterus, testicles, prostate and ovaries. MRIs also work well for bone and joint scanning as well as breast scanning. Brain and spinal cord MRI scanning can help to diagnose eye and inner ear disorders, aneurysms, multiple sclerosis, stroke and injury to the spinal cord and tumors. Heart or blood vessel MRI scans will show plaque buildup, structural problems, heart attack or heart disease damage, movement of heart walls and function and size of the heart chambers. MRI scanning can also help to detect breast cancer when used in conjunction with mammography.