The “chaft” Mnemonic for Lesions in the Brain and Spine With Low T2 Signal Intensity

Editor's Note: Utilization by diagnostic radiologists of the “CHAFT” mnemonic for identification of musculoskeletal, brain and spine, and abdominal lesions with low T2 signal intensity on MRI will be presented in 3 sequential articles: Volume 35, Numbers 6, 7, and 8, respectively. Central nervous system lesions with low T2 signal intensity have limited differential diagnoses. This pictorial CME presentation will review the mnemonic “CHAFT” for the differential diagnosis of lesions with low T2 signal in the context of central nervous system lesions, and demonstrate the importance of correlation with other imaging modalities (primarily CT in neurologic imaging) to further limit the differential diagnosis or arrive at the final diagnosis.