How can you tell if it is scar tissue?

[Crohnsmomof3]

I was just wondering how GI's or radiologists can tell the difference between scar tissue and inflammation. I had a CT scan a couple weeks ago and the radiologist report mentions inflammation (and some other things pointing to inflammation), but no mention of scar tissue. Now, I was diagnosed almost ten years ago could it be possible that I only have inflammation and no scar tissue? Not that I would not want that to be true! I just wondered about the reality of it. Especially since two years ago I had a large abscess. It was drained, made it thought without surgery. Just had the tube in for about five weeks and IV antibiotics for six weeks. Whew!

Thanks!

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

Generally, the radiologist will not refer to it as scar tissue as all they can report is what they see. In my case a narrowing of the small intestine 15-20cm in length. Your GI would go on to determine if this narrowing is inflammation or scar tissue.

 

[Justanothercp]

In my experience, scar tissue is unrelenting in its symptoms. Whereas inflammation waxes and wanes in its symptoms.

 

[Justanothercp]

And inflammation responds to steroids whereas scar tissue, not so much.

 

[Kev]

Took me quite some time to come to terms with my scar tissue, and the issues, pain, etc. it causes. I have no active disease... only evidence of what happened inside me is my scar tissue... or biopsy material under microscope. The areas affected by colitis have cleared up without scarring... but the areas hit by Crohns... very extensive scarring.

The pain levels wax and wane... ebb and flow... depending on what is passing through an area. Softer stool, less pain... less stool, less pain... more stool, more gas, or more fiber... wellllll, that's when it gets nasty. The only method I've come up with to cope is to just not focus on it. In one way, all of the follow up scopes due to the near miss with cancer helped me to understand (although not welcome) the 'fact' that the pains I have are from scar tissue... and not the disease coming back. I can take some comfort from that.

 

[Amy2]

My son's GI says he can feel scar tissue on his side. My son doesn't have much pain, though, but he has trouble gaining weight and tires very easily.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It can be very difficult for them to differentiate. An MRI can show abnormal tissue, a colonoscopy would likely be an easier way for doctors to determine scar versus inflammation.