Tagged: thoracic spine joint problems
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Hello Doctor
I was wondering what is the best test to figure out problems with costovertebral, costotransverse, rib heads cartilage and ligaments surrounding rib joints. What type of mri should I get? Can you please tell me the details like: Should it be axial view? T1 and T2 weighed? fat suppressed? with or without contrast for inflammation? Should I also get a CT scan? If yes, what kind? Should it be multi-slice? 3d reconstruction? axial views? Please doctor if you can let me know exactly what kind of tests should I ask for in details. I have been suffering from this problem for quite a while and doctors and radiologists don’t listen or seem to care
Thanks
A good physical examination is the first step in these diagnoses. Commonly, these disorders do not show up on imaging and the diagnosis is derived from clinical examination. There are some disorders however that will show up on imaging so imaging is required. I would start with X-rays and MRI.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.Hello Doc
I just had a mri but unfortunately they did not take any axial views which to me seems like a huge mistake. The tech only took the T1 and T2 weighed scans. But isn’t the axial view the most important in my type of case? It would have allowed the radiologist to look at my rib joints and ligaments. Or does the T1 and T2 sequence also show these joints? I don’t know what to do now. Should I book another MRI? Or should I go for a CT now and hope for the best.If I should go for another mri, What kind should I get (referring back to my first question)?
Thanks a lot.
Axial views are important in an MRI scan so this scan was incomplete. I would complain that this scan was not diagnostic and have this imaging center has to re-image at no charge for the axial T2 images. Nonetheless, it would be unlikely that these axial images would be diagnostic for costo-vertebral joint problems.
CT scans are better for bone anatomy but as I indicated earlier, these rib disorders are generally better diagnosed with clinical evaluation
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books. -
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