Anyone know anything about mri scans ?

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

Dd1 is 13 and has scoliosis. She has had x-rays and then she was referred for an mri, which the consultant said is standard procedure, just to check that there are no brain or spinal abnormalities, and he said there rarely is.

So, dd1 had her mri scan just over 2 weeks ago. They did her head, neck and full spine.

Today we have recieved another appointment for another mri of the head and neck.

I rung up to check this was right and they said yes, that the radiographer had requested another be done specifically of the neck and head.

I am now a bit worried that they have seen something wrong/abnormal ?? I know x-rays are sometimes redone because they don't come out right or whatever, but don't know anyone who's needed a repeat mri.

Does anyone have any experience of this ?

Anyone ??

I had an MRI scan and one thing they stressed was to keep absolutely still, no movement whatsoever! They pack you in but you can still twitch a bit occasionally. At one point they paused, came out of their 'office/cabin' and asked me not to swallow for the next bit. That's hard. I never thought about doing so until they mentioned it! Somehow I managed and they said "You've ben ever so good!" I was glad it was over though.

It is quite likely there may have been a slight movement at a critical point on your daughter's first result and they just want to have another attempt to be sure. I wouldn't worry too much at this stage.

I would agree; movement might have made the pictures less clear. With the best will in the world, MRIs can be difficult to keep entirely still for for 30 mins.

I also think, had they found something they were concerned about they would have rung you up and consulted you, even if it meant more pictures were needed. I was told on DDs last scan on Friday that the images are routinely looked at immediately after the scan has been done, so if there are any causes for concern they can be picked up immediately. Given it's been 2 weeks, I don't think it sounds like they are worried. I hope this helps .

Maybe she moved....

Movement artifact can make bits of the scans very blurry.. or maybe they managed to miss a bit.

She may have moved or they may want images which are taken with some dye so that it shows up the blood vessels. A MRI scanner isn't the same as a CT scan so there's no radiation involved. It's just noisy.

Thank you all, thats really helpful and has put my mind at ease.

I think I just panicked because the next appointment was meant to be for another xray to check for progression, so it threw me a bit.

They said dd did fabulously well when she had it, but like you say, there could have been some movement. I know she didn't particularly like the head and neck part of the scan, so maybe she unwittingly moved during that.