Re: MRI vs.CT and location shout out

[Guest guest]

In my girls'case, they chose the CT scan (bone) because they were

showing " mixed " hearing loss which is a symptom of misshaped temporal

bones. They were correct: their hearing loss is from " enlarged

Vestibular Aqueducts " . No MRIs have been suggested.

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan

is an x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has

anyone ever done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we

be missing something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at

the brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for

hearing loss issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross

motor skills as well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

In my girls'case, they chose the CT scan (bone) because they were

showing " mixed " hearing loss which is a symptom of misshaped temporal

bones. They were correct: their hearing loss is from " enlarged

Vestibular Aqueducts " . No MRIs have been suggested.

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan

is an x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has

anyone ever done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we

be missing something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at

the brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for

hearing loss issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross

motor skills as well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

In my girls'case, they chose the CT scan (bone) because they were

showing " mixed " hearing loss which is a symptom of misshaped temporal

bones. They were correct: their hearing loss is from " enlarged

Vestibular Aqueducts " . No MRIs have been suggested.

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan

is an x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has

anyone ever done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we

be missing something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at

the brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for

hearing loss issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross

motor skills as well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Our daughter was given just a CT scan to look for enlarged vestibular

aqueducts (or anything else), but I have heard and read several times that

an MRI would better show if the endolymphatic sacs were enlarged also which

would prove LVAS more. Not sure how accurate this information is, but

that's how I remember it.

Robin in NC

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

> scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan is an

> x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has anyone ever

> done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we be missing

> something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

> checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at the

> brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for hearing loss

> issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross motor skills as

> well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Our daughter was given just a CT scan to look for enlarged vestibular

aqueducts (or anything else), but I have heard and read several times that

an MRI would better show if the endolymphatic sacs were enlarged also which

would prove LVAS more. Not sure how accurate this information is, but

that's how I remember it.

Robin in NC

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

> scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan is an

> x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has anyone ever

> done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we be missing

> something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

> checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at the

> brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for hearing loss

> issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross motor skills as

> well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Our daughter was given just a CT scan to look for enlarged vestibular

aqueducts (or anything else), but I have heard and read several times that

an MRI would better show if the endolymphatic sacs were enlarged also which

would prove LVAS more. Not sure how accurate this information is, but

that's how I remember it.

Robin in NC

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

> scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan is an

> x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has anyone ever

> done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we be missing

> something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

> checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at the

> brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for hearing loss

> issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross motor skills as

> well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

We had both MRI & CT, but I'm not sure why. I don't know why you

would have one over the other - that's a question for the doc!

Randi

>

> Can anyone tell me why some kids receive MRI's and others receive CT

scans? I understand an MRI is an image of soft tissue and the CT scan

is an x-ray of the bones but why is one selected over the other? Has

anyone ever done both? If my daughter had a normal CT scan, could we

be missing something by not having an MRI?

>

> -

> My daughter had both an MRI and a CT scan at age 2. The CT scan was

checking for structural problems in the ear. The MRI was to look at

the brain development. I don't know if checking both is usual for

hearing loss issues. Maggie had a slight developmental delay in gross

motor skills as well as hearing loss.

>

> Herndon, VA

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/28/2006 6:09:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

rtatro@... writes:

We had both MRI & CT, but I'm not sure why. I don't know why you

would have one over the other - that's a question for the doc!

Randi

Our Ian has had both kinds of scans but they were for very specific reasons,

to help the doctors " see " very specific things within Ian's head. It was

during the diagnosis portion of our lives and just before he had surgeries. I

know that the ENTs tried to look at the middle ear bones to determine exactly

which might be damaged. At the same time he had his tear ducts repaired, so

the ophthalmologist used the CT scan to see the bones and the MRI to both

visualize what was going on in there and to track his facial nerves so that

there

would be no mistakes during that surgery.

The different scans are for visualizing different kinds of things, and only

the doctors can tell you if one or the other is needed. Ian was scanned

several times before these surgeries, and while he was good and cooperative, I

would not subject him to the process unless they were needed to help the

doctors

in a diagnosis.

Best --Jill

[Guest guest]

My son has never had scans for audiological reasons, but he has had

gazillions of scans to check for cancer recurrence. At his quarterly

scan workup, he gets an abdominal CT scan, and either a head CT or

a head MRI. He also gets a fancy scan with a radioactive isotope called

an MIBG scan. Once they saw a suspicious spot on his pelvis on

the MIBG scan, so they ordered a followup MRI of that area. Also, at

diagnosis, he had an MRI done of his spine. And, it was a CT scan

that led to the initial diagnosis.

They seem to use the CT scans to visualize soft tissue, especially in

the abdominal area. They use the MRIs to look at skeletal problems,

but his onc told me that " MRIs are only effective when you know what

you are looking for " . Thus, they use the MIBG scan to check for

disease in the overall skeleton, and then the followup MRI to take a

closer look at the skeleton. Does that make sense?

The reason they alternate the head CT scan and MRI is (again according

to the onc) that each has strengths and weaknesses in picking up

disease in the brain, and this allows them to track things better while

minimizing radiation to that area (CT scans do involve some radiation).

So, what I have gathered from all of this is that MRIs seem to be better

at visualizing problems in small areas, where you know exactly the

area that you need to target, and what you might be looking for. CT scans

seem to be used to look for larger scale abnormalities, and soft tissue

abnormalities.

Bonnie

>

>

> In a message dated 6/28/2006 6:09:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> rtatro@... writes:

>

> We had both MRI & CT, but I'm not sure why. I don't know why you

> would have one over the other - that's a question for the doc!

>

> Randi

>

> Our Ian has had both kinds of scans but they were for very specific

> reasons,

> to help the doctors " see " very specific things within Ian's head. It was

> during the diagnosis portion of our lives and just before he had

> surgeries. I

> know that the ENTs tried to look at the middle ear bones to determine

> exactly

> which might be damaged. At the same time he had his tear ducts repaired,

> so

> the ophthalmologist used the CT scan to see the bones and the MRI to both

> visualize what was going on in there and to track his facial nerves so

> that there

> would be no mistakes during that surgery.

>

> The different scans are for visualizing different kinds of things, and

> only

> the doctors can tell you if one or the other is needed. Ian was scanned

> several times before these surgeries, and while he was good and

> cooperative, I

> would not subject him to the process unless they were needed to help the

> doctors

> in a diagnosis.

>

> Best --Jill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/30/2006 8:14:15 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

rtatro@... writes:

I can't remember which test came first or for what reason at the time.

They were all for diagnosis and surgery purposes and no, I would not

have subjected her to either of these unless they were deemed

necessary. Especially since the MRI and first CT scan she had

required sedation.

Ian was a bit restless during his first scan -- a CT I think, and they ended

up needing to redo it, so for any subsequent scans, I used Dimetapp (with

the docs okay) because it settled him down. If all we needed was him calm, not

asleep, a half dose would do.

And after reading the posts about MRIs and CT scans, I'm not sure it I have

then straight as to which one is soft tissue and which is bone. At that time

in our lives, Ian was like a lab rat. He was getting tested for so many

concerns all at the same time, and getting prepped for a needed surgery (tear

ducts) that I am amazed we made it through. I look back now on that whirlwind

of

doctors and tests and wonder how I wasn't in tears or having a panic attack

daily. I think I was just in " handle it " mode and that's what I did, one day at

a time.

It's amazing what you can handle when your kids need you to do it.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

>

>

> In a message dated 6/28/2006 6:09:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> rtatro@... writes:

>

>

>

> We had both MRI & CT, but I'm not sure why. I don't know why you

> would have one over the other - that's a question for the doc!

>

> Randi

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Our Ian has had both kinds of scans but they were for very specific

reasons,

> to help the doctors " see " very specific things within Ian's head.

It was

> during the diagnosis portion of our lives and just before he had

surgeries. I

> know that the ENTs tried to look at the middle ear bones to

determine exactly

> which might be damaged. At the same time he had his tear ducts

repaired, so

> the ophthalmologist used the CT scan to see the bones and the MRI

to both

> visualize what was going on in there and to track his facial nerves

so that there

> would be no mistakes during that surgery.

>

> The different scans are for visualizing different kinds of things,

and only

> the doctors can tell you if one or the other is needed. Ian was

scanned

> several times before these surgeries, and while he was good and

cooperative, I

> would not subject him to the process unless they were needed to help

the doctors

> in a diagnosis.

>

> Best --Jill

>

>

>

>

>