How long is the wait for MRI results?

[cariadambyth]

Just that really. Also, is there any sort of triage system whereby the scans are looked at quickly to check for anything really scary and then dealt with more quickly or are they all in a queue and worked through in the order they were done? Any insights gratefully received.

I think it entirely depends on who is scanning you (NHS or private) and why.
I've heard a week but then also had one where the results were "read" there and then.
I've always found it utterly baffling how x-rays and so on take so long to get back to the patient. It seems like there's a level of middle person bureaucracy that's just pointless and causes the patient further pain and anxiety. Happy to be corrected but that's always been my experience.

Thanks for responding @TikkyFlikky, you’re absolutely right about the wait adding to the worry. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer…

It depends on how urgent your original request was; 2WW/urgent/routine etc.

By and large medical imaging gets reported on according to the urgency of referral; but other factors come into play, such as whether a particular specialist in that area is available/on leave/snowed under.

Currently, routine plain X-ray can take ages to be reported, but more reporting radiographers coming online will help with that, going forwards.

So, tickeyflickey, it shouldn't be 'baffling', it should be seen for what it is- another manifestation of chronic underfunding of the NHS.

My last MRIs have been private and were reported almost straight away.

Before covid I had an NHS MRI for hip pain. I went back to the consultant 3 months later and it hadn’t been reported- apparently cancer scans get priority (rightly obviously) so depending on other factors like availability of radiologists, it can take far too long.

When the scan is being done it is supervised by a radiographer who will have a very fair idea of what looks normal so it would be nice to thingk that anything obviously suspicious would be flagged for immediate/ priority attention.

We are in the NHS system and our referral was ‘urgent’ so I’m hoping to hear soon. I know the pressure the service is under but can honestly say they’ve been wonderful, from our initial appointment with the GP onwards. I just want to know what, if anything, we’re dealing with. This trying to be bright and breezy publicly is fairly tiring!

I had MRIs done at the beginning of September, the results went back to the Consultant beginning of October. Nottingham.

Hopefully we’ll find out before Christmas then 🤞. Do you think there’s any point in phoning his consultant’s secretary or should I just leave them alone? It’s so tricky, I don’t think I’d worry so much if it were only me but it’s DS and he’s worrying too.

I had an mri during pregnancy last year on the NHS and had the results within 10 days. I was told they needed to be reviewed by 2 consultants first.

Did they not give you a letter with the timescales? I had one in September under a 2 week priority, a letter I was given stated a day or two wait for 2 week, 2/3 weeks for urgent, 4-6 weeks for gp/Dr referrals and 6-8 weeks for routine.

I had my scan at 730pm on a saturday night and had the results by 10am tuesday morning.

DH's cancer scans get reported very quickly when they show a problem but take much longer when things are stable.

I had to have one a few years ago and I was called back within a week to discuss the results.
My dad at the time told me that when he was in the army it was common to have results back within the hour!
Hope your ds is okay, I’d be more keen to get the results back ASAP for my dc too so I can understand you must be a bit stressed about it

I went for an MRI just before COVID hit as my GP said I was displaying all the signs of a brain tumour. When I went, they told me they are pretty much looked at immediately, but if its nothing serious, it can take up to 6 weeks to hear back. It took about 5 to find out I didn't have a brain tumour. After the first few days, I realised there must have been nothing wrong.

There's no "pointless" "middle person democracy", just a chronic shortage of radiologists. Lots of reporting radiographers to try and address some of the shortfall, not sure if that's a thing in MRI though (I only deal with ionising radiation!).

Generally "no rush" for news is usually better news. I'm my experience when dealing with cancer they were super quick.

The radiologist will feedback to the consultant if urgent , can be verbal and after I was told it goes for for 2nd opinion/quality assurance and then the formal report is written up. This can be very detailed so that can take sometime.

What the issue behind the mri?

Thank you all for your kind responses and flowers, I’m trying to think no news is good news. In fairness to the hospital, it has only been 3 working days since he had it so it’s my impatience rather than their inefficiency. It was a head and top of the spinal chord scan that the consultant wanted done ‘urgently’. I’ll be glad to go to work tomorrow so I don’t sit here thinking about it!!

I've had one where I got a 'don't move!' By the radiographer so I was diagnosed in the actual scan. Others where it's taken around 6 weeks.
Hope it's good news

DS has his brain tumour scanned once a year at the moment. The oncologists have a meeting on Friday. When it’s bad news that requires treatment they ring me on the Friday or Monday. If it’s stable/ish we have to wait til the next neurology appointment.
DS was scanned on Thursday so I’m on tenterhooks too. Known in the cancer community as scanxiety, it’s truly shit.

It depends on what scan was for, I had an urgent brain one pre pandemic and was phoned after a week to report minor issues, spine MRI was put as non-urgent so that was longer and as no real issues just told at next neurology. Have breast cancer now and have had a MRI scan on Tuesday night and CT scan on Thursday night and will get results of both at Friday appointment doing treatment plan so a week and a half. Generally the longer it takes the better the news and bad news to me at least has been given over phone or in person by consultant. If they say they are sending letter to GP and won't be otherwise contacting you that's generally a very good sign.

AFAIK if there is a problem shown that is significant it gets put through much faster, in normal times in first two weeks and often first few days, not sure impact pandemic has had. I find the hospital for non cancer is very slow atm but for cancer is pretty fast. You could maybe phone after a week and ask an estimate on how long would be, can take a while to get through on phones. Hope everything is fine for your DS. I normally ask at scan how long if they haven't said.

Last year I had an MRI on a lump in my tongue, result came back a week later by phone as inconclusive and i was given appointment the next day to have the lump removed, cancer was mentioned as the reason for having MRI. Luckily it was a benign cyst

Thank you all for your replies, I’m feeling a bit wobbly about it all and your kindness is so appreciated. @Velvetbee, I do hope you get good news following the latest scan soon, I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through but I will be thinking of you and your DS.
@Silkieschickens, thank you for sharing your experiences. The radiologist said the consultant will be in touch and didn’t mention sending a letter to the gp. I think I’ll give them a ring next week if I haven’t heard by then. I will be thinking of you on Friday.

The mri result goes back to whoever ordered it so don't expect your GP to get the result.
It really depends on what is being poked for as to how long the results take .

@HumourReplacementTherapy, I appreciated the daffodil, thank you.

First MRI I had, bad news- I was taken to a room by the A&E consultant and was told then and there.

Thanks. Generally results go back to consultants and that does not mean anything either way, I have had all clears and cancer from those meetings. Generally the longer you wait for an appointment the more likely its all clear but I had an all clear after 2 days once so a quick appointment does not necessarily mean bad news. A phone call generally means its not all clear but they can phone for very minor issues which require no treatment. Hope you get the all clear soon. Its best to try and distract yourself in the meantime if you can. With my cancer the first gp dismissed, second referred and said would be cancer and on day of tests they said certain its cancer and in 7 days will give treatment plan and biopsy results will confirm. Some cancers I think they know more than others pre biopsy. I then had biopsy confirmation and just had further tests to tell if spread round body. It is fast when there is an issue that needs urgent treatment.