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Which is better MRI enterography or CT Scan?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/10/2015 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
I had a small bowel series recently and the report said suspicious for regional enterocolitis or Crohn's disease and I thought my GI doctor's office was going to schedule a CT Scan but today they called to say they got approval from my insurance company for a MRI Enterography.

Is the MRI a better diagnostic tool the a CT Scan?

Only 1 hospital in my area does them so I have to wait 2 weeks to get it done because they are so backed up. I haven't had any pain for a few weeks so from that standpoint it's not a big deal but the bigger problem is the cost. My insurance only pays for 1/2 of any diagnostic test and I think an MRI costs a lot more than a CT Scan.

Just curious if anyone had an opinion and how you were diagnosed.
Posted 3/10/2015 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
You probably can get similar info from either. The advantage of the MRI is that you can avoid the radiation which is significant exposure with a CT scan. If money is an issue for you, then talk to your doc and s/he will probably be glad to order the CT instead.
Posted 3/10/2015 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
CT scans expose you to a crazy amount of radiation, especially the old machines. Some of the newer ones "measure" you and only deliver the amount of radiation needed to do the job. I asked for an MRE last time because over our lifetimes we may need more than one CT scan and I want to save that radiation exposure for a situation when only a CT scan will work. An MRE should work as well as a CT scan to image the bowels from what I've read. Maybe the hospital would work out a deal where they can knock a few bucks off. I know hospitals will sometimes charge less if you are paying cash out of your pocket. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Are they going to do a colonoscopy or just a scan? With the scope they can screen you for polyps and remove them, also they take biopsies that can help with a diagnosis. I had a CT scan and a scope when I was diagnosed with crohns. If I knew then what I know now I would have just had the scope and not the CT.
Posted 3/10/2015 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
I do need to get a colonoscopy too but that's going to have to wait. On top of all of this I also have internal hemorrhoids that the GI doctor said would have to be banded before he did the colonoscopy because there are so bad and he felt the prep would make them much worse. My insurance company will only pay for me to get them (or any other procedure that's not diagnostic) every two weeks. He's done one already and there are 2 left.
Posted 3/10/2015 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
I have those internal hems as well. Is this a gastroenterologist doing the banding? I almost had skin tags removed which would have been a huge mistake, this was before I knew I had crohns. The doctor (not a GI) didn't know what he was looking at and I'm so grateful that I chickened out before that procedure. I think skin tags are external and not like internal hems. Sorry your insurance is giving you such limitations. It must be frustrating to have to work around their rules.
Posted 3/11/2015 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
They are definitely internal hems, not external skin tags. The procedure is quick and painless but expensive. I just got the bill from the office visit and he charged $525 for a 2 minute procedure. Not kidding it was that fast.
Posted 3/12/2015 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Glad it was painless, but not painless for your wallet--holy smokes that's expensive!
Posted 3/12/2015 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
So I went in for another banding procedure today and while I was there asked the Dr what he thought might be wrong and he feels that it's not Crohn's because of my age and no long history of any kind of abdominal pain. Even though the radiologist's report said "raising concern for regional enterocolitis or or Crohn's disease" he thinks it is something else. So I push and push and ask then why all this pain, vomiting, and narrow stools since last summer. He said it could be an obstruction or "something else like God forbid Lymphoma". Those were his words so now my head is spinning. I just want to know what's wrong so I can deal with it and be healthy again.
Posted 3/13/2015 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Flowergirl, I would be freaking out too if my dr mentioned lymphoma, but one thing to keep in mind is that crohn's presents itself differently in people who have the disease. My mother had crohn's and was in terrible pain for years and had many surgeries, she was diagnosed in her early 20's. When my doctor suggested I be checked for crohn's I didn't believe my symptoms could be caused by crohn's because my main symptoms were nausea and IBS type symptoms. At the time of my dx there was no pain at all, really. I was 48 when I was diagnosed. The radiologist thought your tests were suggestive of crohn's or regional entercolitis, they may still be right. I hope you are able to put your mind at ease soon, worrying is terrible.
Posted 3/13/2015 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Betty, thanks for responding to all these posts. I'm 48 too. Before last summer I never had this kind of pain. The strange part of it is the way it comes and goes. For weeks at a time I feel perfectly normal and healthy and then I'll get these bouts of incredible pain and vomiting. It leaves me weak and dizzy but usually within a day or two I feel completely fine. I never have diarrhea and in fact am frequently constipated. I can't associate the pain with any particular food. The other symptom I have is thin, narrow stools. I'm trying to stay positive that it's nothing serious but waiting is hard.
Posted 3/13/2015 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, hoping for the best for you-please keep us updated and take care.
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