MRI vs. CAT scan

Absolutely no idea...I do remember that the one that they put you into a tube is out of the question for me (severe claustrophobia lately) so they always do the other one...no one has ever told me that there was a difference in the results...

But now with my k pouch they no longer do either...they do a contrast study through the pouch for anything pouch related and ultrasounds...it gives them just enough without putting me and my insurance through the hoops...

Hope that they figure this out for her...

Sharon

I have had both the MRI and CT Enterographies.  They are similar except that the MRI is a much longer exam, almost 3 hours between the contrast being taken at 20 minute intervals and the amount of different postions for the imaging and the injection they give you to slow down the bowel motility midway through the imaging. You have to drink volumen for both tests- it's a contrast that looks opaque like semen but does not taste awful (in my opinion).

 

I believe that the only advantage to the MRI as a diagnostic tool is that it may enable slightly better imaging of bowel wall thickness.  Bowel wall thickness is what determines the areas where inflammation is the worst.

 

Many patients reject the MRI and vomit during the procedure, (1) due to claustrophobia from being trapped in that tube for long periods, and (2) the glucaphen (I think that is what they call it) that they inject to slow down motility causes nausea and vomiting in 50% of patients, and they even have a vomit basin at the ready when they inject you.  It did occur to me that if I vomited all over the inside of that tube and your daughter was next, I would hope they do a good cleaning before she gets inserted.

 

I was in the 50% that did not get sick.  I didn't even feel any nausea.  But it burned so badly going in that I screamed and totally freaked out the radiologist.  She said, "what's wrong?????????????" And I said, "that shit feels like sulfuric acid going into my veins!!!!!!!!!!!" It only stung for a few seconds. My body didn't like it.

 

One other thing is that the MRI machine makes weird noises and sounds and the overall experience was like being in an alien spaceship, hostage to some unseen aliens conducting a noisy experiment.

Depending on her age, she would have to sedated.  Depending on why they are imaging in the first place stat mri are hard to come by and take so long they wouldn't be helpful. The question is why do you think she needs imaging? Scopes see more upper and lower if stomach or colon.

Or rather...pouch.  I tried to find backstory related to chron' s.  Has she been on a biologic.  I can only imagine how scary and frustrating this is.....

Imaging shows stuff that scopes don't show- like bowel wall thickness.  Not all inflammation or the extent of it is readily visible on a scope.  A scope will not show how inflammation has impacted the bowel wall.  Imaging will.

 

It's done for diagnostic purposes.

My point was just that if the child is young then the risk of sedation versus what the mri will tell you may not be important risk benefit wise. If there is already evidence of a bleeding ulcer then doing a long procedure may not be as helpful for fistula, adhesions, or even bowel thickness comparing to CT results.  Bless you for handling three hours in an mri. My question is why is this baby nearly bleeding out twice, if there is no perforation and it is straight ulceration of a K pouch then what can be done to prevent it. Likely, bringing us to the frustration of artmom not feeling like there is a good plan in place. I missed if your daughter had been on biologics, artmom?

Daughter hasn't been on any biologic meds. Don' know if these ulcers are similar to pouchitis-Doctors are calling this pouchitis, but it doesn't look like any of the images I've seen on line. Any words of advice as to future treatment? She is allergic to Cipro and Flagyle. I've ordered VSL#3 for gut with antibiotics and have orders Turmeric capsules. Have purchased a juicer and books. Hope to help avoid what ever is causing all of this beside this awful disease. 

I know at my hospital the reason they do Cat scans are because of the wait time for the MRI machines. You can wait up to 2 days and if your in the ER that can be a problem. The hospital did get another MRI machine so at this visit the wait was only a day and I got admitted first. I told them I already had 13 C-scans and no more. 

Art Mom:

 

A few years ago I posted pics of my pouchitis which they still aren't sure if it's pouchitis or Crohn's Colitis after many years and many tests.  Go to the last 3 posts I put up on page 1 of this thread and observe the attachments:

 

https://www.j-pouch.org/topic/m...choscopy-pics?page=1

 

Those pics taken in 2012.  My pics taken this year look similar.  I got better, then worse again.

 

CT, are you on biologics?  I am with you, screw what they call it.  It's IBD and chronic inflammation can't be good for us.  Chronic inflammation with superficial symptom control is what landed me with a j pouch in the first place. Artmom-I sometimes wonder why there are not individual trials in refractory cases of immune suppressives.  I have another  physician friend that ended up on 6mp for chronic 'pouchitis' that symptomatically helped but still showed horrible inflammation on endoscopy.  Seems the benefit in the long term far outweighs short term risk.