What is the procedure for an MRI with AND without contrast?

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What is the procedure for an MRI with AND without contrast?

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  • HereToHelpMyMom
    HereToHelpMyMom Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2019

    My mom, who has IDC is having sciatic pain at night and her physiatrist is ordering a lumbar MRI with AND without contrast.

    How do they do the test with AND without contrast: Do they take one MRI scan BEFORE they even inject the dye? Then she gets out of the machine, they inject her and THEN scan AGAIN?

    Or do they inject her right away, then the machine scans her in 2 different ways- or something like that?

    I know its a weird question! Thank you!

  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited June 2019

    I have also had this type of MRI, several times. The way it was done for me was that an IV was set and connected to a bag of saline, but the medication was not started. I was placed in the machine and a series of images was done without the contrast, then the technician informed me that they were administering the IV, which was done remotely from the control area. The remaining imaging with contrast was then done. The process was not difficult or uncomfortable for me, and you have the capability to communicate two way with the person performing the MRI - you can talk to them and they can talk to you even while you are in the machine. Wishing your mom the best.

  • edj3
    edj3 Member Posts: 2,076
    edited June 2019

    What SpecialK said--she'll have an IV started, go in the machine. They'll take the first MRI without contrast dye, inject the dye into the IV and then take the MRI again.

  • HereToHelpMyMom
    HereToHelpMyMom Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2019

    That's odd. Prior to mom's mastectomy, they sent her for a breast MRI (also with and without contrast). She wasnt hooked up to an IV during the MRI, only for a few minutes before it. The report says they took an image without contract and 3 images with contrast, but i dont see how that's possible if she wasnt connected to an IV. There was no separate scan before they gave her the IV. Did they lie? Ugh

    Did both of you get this particular MRI for the breast or another part of the body? Maybe they dont even do breast MRIs without contrast,.

    Thanks

  • edj3
    edj3 Member Posts: 2,076
    edited June 2019

    I've had a number of MRIs for various issues. With the breast MRI in April, I had a tiny (and I do mean tiny) IV placed before I went into the MRI room. I was on the table face down with my breasts in two openings, rolled back in the machine and then they did the first MRI. Someone came in and injected the dye into the IV and then I had the second one. I'm guessing that in fact the IV stayed in your mother's arm but like mine was so tiny that it wasn't really noticable.

    I've also had MRIs with no contrast but not for my breasts.

  • HereToHelpMyMom
    HereToHelpMyMom Member Posts: 38
    edited June 2019

    Hi edj3,

    but did they have to attach/reattach the iv to long tube? or did someone just inject into the little iv port on your arm/hand?

    My mom has a hard time remembering things, but she seemed to think they put in the IV before the scan, and then injected the dye, but REMOVED the IV entirely before she even climbed in the machine. Unlikely?

  • edj3
    edj3 Member Posts: 2,076
    edited June 2019

    Unlikely. Truly the bag is small, all of it is small. And she would have been focused on climbing into the machine.

  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited June 2019

    My mom just had her MRI no contrast and they used the upright MRI machine. Don't know the results yet we think it is a pinched nerve sciatica. Wonder if doing one with contrast should have been done. She paid out of pocket good deal $242. Medicare would not pay unless she did 1 month physical therapy first.

  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited June 2019

    here to help - I had a lumbar MRI for back pain long before breast cancer - showed disk degeneration at L4/5, multiple breast MRIs - one prior to bi-lateral mastectomy in 2010, then about five years later after an abnormal PET scan, and a lumbar and bi-lateral hip MRI in 2015 which were done at the same time due to pain and to rule out mets, but revealed trochanteric bursitis, fluid in the hip joint, and stress tears in the gluteus medius, disk degeneration now at L3/4/5, bone spurs at T12 - always had an IV hooked up before the scan started but the non-contrast images were done first, then the drug was injected into the IV remotely, then the contrast images were done.

  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited June 2019

    Thanks specialk, Mom is feeling a little better but we won't drop the ball till we know what it is.

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