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I Have Major Pain In My Groin From A Near
Question: I have major pain in my groin from a near fall two years ago. I've had X-rays and an MRI. They couldn't find anything. Thursday I go for an Anthrogram MRI where they use a long needle injecting into my groin. Three questions: 1) Will this show anything besides torn ligaments and stretched muscles? What about bone cancer? 2) My doctor never told me what possible complications I could have with this procedure. Someone mentioned sepsis. 3) Can I drink alcohol after this procedure? I will be taking a dose of diazepam before I go for anxiety.
Brief Answer:
MRI arthrogram is generally a safe procedure
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask a Doctor'. An MRI arthrogram is a procedure in which contrast is injected into a joint (in your case likely the hip joint), which allows an MRI to be able to more clearly see cartilage in the joint, as well as surrounding ligaments and tendons. I do not believe it would be much superior to regular MRI for diagnosing bone cancer, but a regular MRI would be very sensitive for that anyways, so I would say if it is not seen with either of these MRIs, it would not be something you should be concerned about. Complications from the procedure are very rare, and usually are increased joint pain or headache, fatigue, or dizziness. Infection and sepsis would almost never happen.
Drinking alcohol after the procedure would be fine, I would just wait long enough for the diazepam to be mostly out of your system; it should be safe from about 6 hours after taking the diazepam.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
MRI arthrogram is generally a safe procedure
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask a Doctor'. An MRI arthrogram is a procedure in which contrast is injected into a joint (in your case likely the hip joint), which allows an MRI to be able to more clearly see cartilage in the joint, as well as surrounding ligaments and tendons. I do not believe it would be much superior to regular MRI for diagnosing bone cancer, but a regular MRI would be very sensitive for that anyways, so I would say if it is not seen with either of these MRIs, it would not be something you should be concerned about. Complications from the procedure are very rare, and usually are increased joint pain or headache, fatigue, or dizziness. Infection and sepsis would almost never happen.
Drinking alcohol after the procedure would be fine, I would just wait long enough for the diazepam to be mostly out of your system; it should be safe from about 6 hours after taking the diazepam.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Hi, I have provided some attachments. Please review them.
Hi, I have provided some attachments. Please review them.
When I originally asked about my ailment and the Arthrogram MRI, I had other questions besides the ones you just read. I thought I would be getting answers from an orthopedic surgeon and not a general physician. No offense, but the first Ask A Doctor I got, again was a general physician. I have for the past two years researched the cause of my groin pain. I wish you had read the other messages to the former Ask A Doctor. From what I can gather it could be: Trochanteric Bursitis, A hip labral tear, Tendonitis or Torn Hip Ligament. BUT, the pain comes from (it seems) a muscle (which is swollen) right where my leg meets my lower torso. With several of the maladies mentioned above, the pain (I don't think) would be coming from that area. If they find nothing with this Arthrogram, what other test could I then take? The pain is getting worse and worse. I've stopped exercising and taking turmeric. My family doctor suggested that. It's a waste of money.
Brief Answer:
Sorry for the disappointment
Detailed Answer:
I'm sorry you expected to get an orthopedic surgeon, the question was made available to me and so I answered it, if you specifically requested an orthopedic surgeon, I would contact Ask a Doctor and perhaps you could get a refund, and they can help you resubmit your question.
I did not see your previous questions with other Ask a Doctor doctors, and I still do not see any record of those, so unfortunately I cannot review them.
I have reviewed your reports, the MRI of course is the more important of the two, which shows degenerative changes in the hip joint, as well as mild greater trochanter bursitis. Given your description of the pain in the groin, I would suspect that hip joint degenerative arthritis is the cause of the pain, which should be confirmed by physical exam. The MRI did not mention any muscle swelling so I cannot comment on that. It may be that you will need a hip replacement.
Again, sorry for the unmet expectations, if there is anything else I can help with, please do let me know.
Sorry for the disappointment
Detailed Answer:
I'm sorry you expected to get an orthopedic surgeon, the question was made available to me and so I answered it, if you specifically requested an orthopedic surgeon, I would contact Ask a Doctor and perhaps you could get a refund, and they can help you resubmit your question.
I did not see your previous questions with other Ask a Doctor doctors, and I still do not see any record of those, so unfortunately I cannot review them.
I have reviewed your reports, the MRI of course is the more important of the two, which shows degenerative changes in the hip joint, as well as mild greater trochanter bursitis. Given your description of the pain in the groin, I would suspect that hip joint degenerative arthritis is the cause of the pain, which should be confirmed by physical exam. The MRI did not mention any muscle swelling so I cannot comment on that. It may be that you will need a hip replacement.
Again, sorry for the unmet expectations, if there is anything else I can help with, please do let me know.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
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