MRI or cat scan?
Question:
I made a ENT appointment but they dont have a cat scan unit. I hope this ENT is good. He is the only one that could see me soon. The nurse did say he had a nose scope (she used a name) Is that any good in seeing inside sinuses? My friend just e-mailed me and said to get a MRI… Is taht better than a cat scan? Well so many question so little time. Thank you
Response:
dan tani wrote: > I made a ENT appointment but they dont have a cat scan unit. I hope this > ENT is good. He is the only one that could see me soon.
Unfortunately, in my experience, the ENTs that can see you soon are not the best ones. The ones with great reputations are often taking appointments several months in advance. > The nurse did > say he had a nose scope (she used a name) Is that any good in seeing > inside sinuses? My friend just e-mailed me and said to get a MRI… Is > taht better than a cat scan? Well so many question so little time. Thank > you
I’ve never heard of an ENT that has a CT scan unit in his own office. Generally the ENT will make an appointment for you at a nearby hospital that has the CT scan unit in their radiology department. The nasal endoscope is very good at viewing the sinus ducts (which drain the sinuses). The ENT can then see if there is infected material draining out of the sinuses. But the ducts are so narrow (2 mm in diameter) that the endoscope cannot view the inside of the sinuses. That’s what the CT scan is for. For ordinary sinusitis, CT scans should be adequate. An MRI is overkill. — Steven L.
Response:
ENT doctors order CAT scan because that shows the sinus cavities, the opening, etc much better than MRI. MRI is best for soft tissue, but it is too sensitive and will show up a small amount of mucus as a major disease. In our group we continually reorder CAT scan after a person has had an MRI because we need that detail. Murray Grossan, M.D. http://www.ent-consult.com
Response:
Filed under: Sinusitis
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