MRT for whiplash | MRT of the thoracic spine

MRT for whiplash

Multiple sclerosis patients (MS patients for short) should also regularly receive an MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine, especially if they have complaints. Normally, multiple sclerosis causes focal lesions (injuries), especially in the brain, in which the nerve fibers are demyelinated due to inflammation. However, these so-called MS foci can also occur in the cervical and thoracic spine, which can then lead to failures in the arm and/or legs and/or various organs such as the bladder or anus.

If, for example, an MS patient suffers from bladder voiding disorders, an MRI of the thoracic spine should definitely be performed, since an MRI can be used to assess whether small foci of inflammation are located in the area of the thoracic spine. An MRI of the thoracic spine is also performed when the physician wants to take a closer look at the patient’s spinal cord. In addition to chronic spinal cord damage and inflammation, the spinal cord can also develop tumors that constrict the spinal cord.

These tumors in the area of the thoracic spine are best visualized by MRI. In most cases, a tumor in the area of the spinal cord of the thoracic spine causes similar symptoms as a herniated disc. Therefore, it is important to order an MRI examination, because the MRI can show whether the patient has a tumor in the area of the thoracic spine or not.

But tumors can originate not only from the spinal cord, but also from the bone marrow. A tumor of the bone marrow in the area of the thoracic spine can be assessed primarily by MRI. Often such tumors are bone marrow metastases, which can occur in the area of the thoracic spine, for example, after radiation therapy following a breast tumor (breast carcinoma). These tumors can now be precisely identified and assessed in the MRI.

Costs MRT

Another important factor for many patients is the question of the cost of an MRI of the thoracic spine. Of course, this depends on the respective institute performing the procedure. In general, however, it should be noted that an MRI of the thoracic spine is covered by health insurance if it is medically relevant.

If, on the other hand, the patient wishes an MRI of the thoracic spine without the recommendation of a physician, the costs for the MRI must be covered by the health insurance company. These costs amount to approximately €500, but if contrast medium is to be used to improve the imaging of the abdominal organs or blood vessels, the costs of an MRI of the thoracic spine and surrounding structures amount to approximately €700. You can find more detailed information on the topic of costs under Costs of an MRT examination