hi just wanted to say that about 2years ago i had both but only the contrast showed the bulgging disc, they did not see it in the first w/out contrast. now I live in maine now and this doctor only did mri w/no contrast, now she is saying there is not anything wrong.. When i tried to tell her that before they could only see it w/contrast, she acted like i was the stupid one, needless to say I am changing doctors!!!
Hello all! I was told that a MRI WITHOUT contrast can still see abnormal findings a MRI WITH CONTRAST has , but with contrast a DOCTOR can identify size, intology(type of diease-sorry mispelled), & more details... It was also expained to me if the REGULAR MRI does not find it more than likely a CONTRAST MRI wont find it.. Again I am not a doctor(obvisouly from my spelling:o)), but this was told to me by a 10year MRI TECH..
BTW- My GI doctor wanted me to have a CT SCAN because of a abnormal ultrasound"BI dilated kidneys).. My Ultrasound tech(same guy) told me my BI LATERAL finding was because i had a full bladder-- well sure enough the TECHIE was right andthe doctor was not.. Justthough i would share that story...
take care
An excellent and thorough explanation.
Hi,
Contrast dye is a solution that is used to highlight specific structures when looking at an image. The dye is injected in the blood vessels or taken orally. MRI contrast accentuates the differences between normal and abnormal tissues. The MRI contrast alters the magnetic properties of tissue. The altered properties differentiate tissue types on the MRI image. Unfortunately, MRI contrast dye containing the heavy metal gadolinium has been the cause of a disease called Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermotherapy (NFD), a serious condition that starts in the skin of the arms and legs and spreads to other parts of the body. People who undergo an MRI, especially those with kidney disease–in which this contrast dye is used are particularly at risk for developing this disease. Plain MRI images are taken without injecting the dye. Please consult a neurologist and discuss the side effects of contrast dyes. Hope this helps you. Take care and regards!
The MRI with contrast provides a clearer image, albeit at some risk due to dye toxicity and adverse reactions to the dye. It's a matter of risk benefit. For most diagnostic purposes an MRI without dye contrast is sufficient, however if your physician suggests such a procedure he has good reason.