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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does The MRI With Contrast Dye Diagnose A Problem Clearly?

Trying to understand the difference between a Cat Scan with IV contrast VS an MRI with contract to try to find whether or not there is a mass vs a disc issue etc in the lower back of an elderly male- so far the Cat scan hasn t found the problem and I am trying to see if an MRI with contrast die could
Tue, 29 Dec 2015
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Radiologist,  's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.

I am an expert in radiology and we routinely use IV contrast during CT and MRI scans to investigate medical conditions. In musculoskeletal imaging CT scan is better to study bone conditions and MRI scan is better to know about soft tissues including muscles tendons and discs.

Returning to your case of an elderly male having mass vs disc problem in the lower back, it is suggested to do a MRI scan with IV contrast to address the issue. The disc is not well appreciated in a CT scan and most conditions are evaluated using MRI scan. A complimentary CT scan of lower back is done in most centers when doing a MRI scan of lower back and this gives additional information about the bones. Therefore you can go for MRI scan lower back with contrast and request for a complimentary CT scan if required. Please do not worry.
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Does The MRI With Contrast Dye Diagnose A Problem Clearly?

Hi, Thanks for writing in. I am an expert in radiology and we routinely use IV contrast during CT and MRI scans to investigate medical conditions. In musculoskeletal imaging CT scan is better to study bone conditions and MRI scan is better to know about soft tissues including muscles tendons and discs. Returning to your case of an elderly male having mass vs disc problem in the lower back, it is suggested to do a MRI scan with IV contrast to address the issue. The disc is not well appreciated in a CT scan and most conditions are evaluated using MRI scan. A complimentary CT scan of lower back is done in most centers when doing a MRI scan of lower back and this gives additional information about the bones. Therefore you can go for MRI scan lower back with contrast and request for a complimentary CT scan if required. Please do not worry.