MRI vs. CT scan benefits and risks

[Jaybirdc]

For mild abdominal pain that may be CFAP (chronic functional abdominal pain), and where the pain  seems to respond well to medication and diet improvements, is an MRI
1) more accurate than a CT scan for checking for this condition?  Is an MRI generally more accurate for looking at the liver, gall bladder, stomach, intestines, etc. than a CT scan?
2) less radiation than CT scan?  (none for an MRI I think)
3) are there no health risks from an MRI whatsoever assuming no metal objects are in the body?
4)  If a CT scan is all that is available, is it worth the radiation risk?  Would an abdominal CT scan be about #200 times the radiation of a chest X-ray, but about the same as a traditional GI X-ray series?
Thank you.

[hgower]

JUNE LAST YEAR MY DAUGHTER HAD CRAMPY, GASSY,  FEELING TOGETHER WITH ABDOMINAL AINS IN STOMACH THE DOCTOR GAVE BUSCOAN AND GAVASCON AND THE AINS WERE BETTER AS THE DAY BEFORE WE WERE IN EMERGENCY AND DID NOTHING SAYING ibs AND SENT US HOME, UNTILL WE SAW OUR  G.P, SHE HAD THE SAME ISSUE TWO WEEKS BEFORE TOO, BUT SAID OR DID NOTHING AS SHE WAS OUT WITH FRIENDS AND THEY FOUND HER COILED ON THE FLOOR WITH PAINS, SINCE 2O1O BEEN HAVING ON AND OFF AINS ON RIGHT SIDE OF STOMACH THE  ANS THIS TIME WAS ABOVE NAVAL AND BELOW CHEST  UPPER ABDOMINAL,HER DAD AS INFRAQRENAL ANEURYSM IWTH MURAL THROMBUS, GRND MA DIED OF IT AND GRAND UNCLE HAS THE SAME ISSUE
SHE DID AN CT WITH BARIUM THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE GAVASCON AND BUSCOAN AND SAID THERE WAS P ATHCY LIVER CALCIFICATION, WAS ASKED TO DO mri, conclusion of mri was study was NORMAL, AND THAT LIVER CALCIFICATION IS BETTER SEEN ON ct SCAN AS THEY ARE MORE SENSATIVE, SINCE 2O1O HAVE EEN HAVIN THESE AINS ON RIGHT SIDE OF STOMACH, AND ALSO HAD BRIGHT RED BLOOD IN STOOLS IN THE SAME YEAR, DID ULTRASOUND AND NOTHING WAS NOTED AT THE TIME, ALSO DOCOT DID INTERNAL DUE TO BRIGHT RED BLOD IN STOOLS AND SAID IT WAS A TEAR NO OTHER CHECKS R FOLLOW UPS WERE ORDERED,SINCE LAST YEAR HAVE HAD AIN ISSUES, BUT SHE IS ALSO CONSTIATED SHE DRINKS QUITE A BIT OF WATER, BLOOD TEST SEEMS NORMAL ACCEPT THAT 3 MONTHS AGO SHE WAS NOT TOO WELL SO DID A TEST FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS ANTIBODIES

     IgG ANTIBODY 19TH JANUARY 13 125 U mL POSITIVE
IgM ANTIBODY DETECTED,

COMMENTS MADE ARE EVIDENCE OF REVIOUS cmv INFECTION
IgM RESULTS MAY BE NON SECIFIC OR ERISTING AFTER AST INFECTION,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN IT WAS DONE ON 12TH SETEMBER 13  RESULT WAS THE SAME . IT  WAS DONE AS SHE WORKS IN CHILD CARE AND THERE WAS HAND FOOT AND MOUTH INFECTION AND SHE HAD SOME SMALL ULCERS IN MOUTH  THATS WHY THE DOCTOR DID THE TEST, COULD THIS RELATE TO HER STOMACH ISSUES TOO AS THE ULCERS HAVE CLEARED ABOUT 4 DAYS ALTER AFTER THE FIRST TEST WAS DONE 12TH sEPT 12,,
results of test done on 19th January 13 are  VITAMIN d 43 nmol  LOW
on 1/6/12 Note Docotor said slighly anemic,  never explained, it was iron deficinecy, iron studies show Ferratine since 08- 17,2010-24,, 2011-30,  2012 -44, 2013 41 ug L, Iron-2008 -9, '10- 7, '11-25, 12-8 , 2O13 15, Transferrin sat -2012- 5, 2013- 21 Transferrin -  2012 3.4, '2013 2.9. g  L folate  165O, and B12 533 Pmol L, , *MCH 26.9 pg, *MCHC-31.2.g/dl, HB 13.4 PCV 43,O% ,RCC 4.99 L, MCV 86 fl, White cell count 5.2,, Neutrophils 44%, 2.3, Lymphocytes, 43% 2.2, , Monocytes 9%,O.5,  Esonophils:4%, Basophils:0%, Platelets:385, CRP  JUNE 2012 was 3, setemer 2012 was13, and 19th January 2O13  was 5,  7, thyroid norma; Serium Biochemistry reslults inluding billirubin 5 umol/L,  cretine53  umol/L, sodium 139  potass 5.O mmol/L , chloride 105 mmol/l, bicarbonate 28mmol/l, urea 3.0mmol/l EST.GFR > 90 per 1.73 sqm, ala aminotransferas 16u/l , Asp. aminotransferase 19u/l, alkaline phospates 63 u/l, gemma glutamyl trans GGT 11U?L , total protein 75 G?L Albumin 46 G/L, Globulin 3OG/L, cALCIUM 2.53, Cor CALCIUM 2.43 hosohats 1.5 Urate,21, ESR was 5 mm hr Dr said they are in  normal range ), did Coeliac Disease serology (serium) - normal 2.53,for 2012 results as per 1/6/12,)
Why does she have this ain AND gassy, Bloated FEELING AS WELL AS CONSTIATED, ALSO STATED TO GIVE METAMUSEL, AND RUNE JUICE WHICH RECENTLY SHE HAD SOME DARK RED MUCAS TYE BLOODON TISSUE, HER  STOOLS ATE DARK START AND EN MIDDLE IS DARK BROWN DOCTOR HAS ASKED HER TO GO FOR GASTOSCOY AND ENDOSCOY i KNOW SHE WONT WANT TO DO THE ENDOSCOY WE ALSO HAVE TO DO ANOTHER STOMACH SCAN IN JUNE TO CHECK ABOUT CALCIFICAIGTON, WOULD THIS HAVE BEENSEEN INTHE4 mri take last year what will the gastrocoy e ale to reveal and what aout the  endoscoy she is 22 years old her P aternal grandad and grand undle maternal had  owel cancerso that scareme if there was anything like that would have the nri or scan detected.

[boron]

1 If it is CFAP, nothing would be found with any investigation. This is why it is called "functional". It means no organic cause. CT in general is more accurate for stones and bone diseases, otherwise MRI is more accurate.
2,3. There's no radiation in MRI and no known side effects, metal objects are not a problem in MRI.
4. CT represent the most danger for the sperm cells or eggs, and could lead to congenital defect in your next children. It's a pure speculation what dose of CT irradiation would be needed for this, but in general more subsequent CT scans, or scans of pelvic area are the most dangerous. If you are anxious about the doses, there are radiologists or even technicians, who know these answers from the head.

There are plenty other investigations before MRI and CT. First one is ultrasound.

Again, if your CFAP diagnosis is correct, nothing would be found. If you doubt about diagnosis, you can tell something about the symptoms (pain, diarrhea, etc).