Gut Investigations
Abdominal MRI Scan
An MRI scan is an excellent way of looking at the structures, not the function, of the intestinal tract and the rest of the organs in the abdomen and it is very helpful for looking at structural abnormalities such as scarring and strictures of the gut.It can also help delineate the drainage channels from the liver and the pancreas, and then it is called an MRCP. If we are looking for small bowel inflammatory bowel disease we will need your child to swallow liquid in order to distend the bowel and this is called a Magnetic Resonance Enterography.
For younger children it will require a general anaesthetic, but for older children who can usually lie still – especially with the open MRI scan at the Portland – it can be easily performed in a 30-60 minute period of time. There aren’t any side effects and it doesn’t involve radiation.It is a very helpful adjunct to helping in diagnoses such as strictures and scarring due to Crohn’s disease.
