Small Bowel MRI?

[blurryface]

Has anyone had a small bowel MRI, if so what did it show?

[cyclinglady]

I am pretty sure it is used to help diagnose Crohn’s.  

[Corinne D.]

Hi blurryface, I had a small bowel MRI, because I had ulcerations in my duodenum and my doctors wanted to see if they were also present in the jejeunum - the part of the small bowel beyond the reach of endoscopy. It usually shows any structural abnormalities in the intestine, lesions, ulcerations, and yes, it is usually done to check for inflammatory diseases like Crohn's, but can also be used for celiac disease complications.

[blurryface]

1 hour ago, Corinne D. said:

Hi blurryface, I had a small bowel MRI, because I had ulcerations in my duodenum and my doctors wanted to see if they were also present in the jejeunum - the part of the small bowel beyond the reach of endoscopy. It usually shows any structural abnormalities in the intestine, lesions, ulcerations, and yes, it is usually done to check for inflammatory diseases like Crohn's, but can also be used for celiac disease complications.

Thank you for the detailed answer- this is really helpful. Do you remember if you had to have any kind of preparation for this procedure?

[Corinne D.]

Yes, first I had to fast for at least six hours before the MRI. Some protocols may have you on a low-residue diet for a few days before. About one hour before I had to drink some laxative to completely empty the small bowel, but a lot less than the amount for a colonoscopy, maybe like half. They gave me an IV antispasmodic (glucagon) (to slow down the peristalsis caused by the laxative, so that they could actually see the intestine and take pictures) and halfway through the MRI the standard contrast agent, gadolinium. The MRI itself was OK, I was on my belly with my head outside of the tube, so no claustrophobia but the noise was still there alright. Just make sure your kidney tests are fine and drink lots of water afterwards to eliminate the IV products.