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Does an MRI actually show anything for IBD?

tlc-x

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
I had my first one yesterday so it was all exciting haha. Anyway, to the point, some people have said it's unlikely that an MRI will actually show or diagnose me with anything because it looks at just bone and tissues. I'm not sure if that's correct or not though. I doubt i'd be funded for an MRI if it isn't going to find anything.

But I thought i'd ask the experts :) Has anyone ever been diagnosed from an MRI and can they actually see if something is wrong? My ultrasound scan found nothing wrong and if there is, can the MRI pick it up?
 
T

ThanksP

My last MRI Enterography showed narrowing of my Terminal Ileum. I was already diagnosed years prior but going through a flare at the time. The MRI(E) was much better than having another colonoscopy :) But I've had many CT scans an they have never shown a dern thing. I'll never allow them to do another CT.
 
kiny

kiny

Well-known member
MRI is THE BEST imaging technology for soft tissue out right now. It can see, and it can see a lot, and very very precise.

The newest T9 scanners are super super precise, they can see up to a molecular level if they want. Most clinics have T3 or below, but still that's more than enough for crohn.

To get an MRI means you're in good hands, the MRI machines are the most expensive equipment you can find in a hospital, I remember they broke down the whole wall of the hospital where I went, lifted the machine up and put it in the room.

The machines are also able to take lots and lots of shots, they can easily take a 1000 shots in 10 minutes time of any area they want.

The limiting factor is not the machine, it's the person looking at the shots.
 
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izzi'smom

izzi'smom

You can get a CT enterogram or an MR enterogram...it's basically the same test utilizing a different technique. I chose MR for my daughter because of the radiation. The radiologists I work with have differing opinions on which is better, but MR or virtual colonoscopy (pill camera) are the only ways to visualize the colon without radiation. We were looking specifically for small bowel strictures (narrowing).
 
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