Difference between MRI/MRA and CT/A

I guess they have no idea whats going on and they are trying to rule out every obscure thing including thoracic outlet syndrome and Paget-Schrötter. This is what a lot of doctors do now, just keep ordering expensive tests for vague symptoms.

You prob just need a regular shoulder MRI to start off

The more letters, the higher the cost. You can get more refined pictures with MRI than a CT. It just depends on what you are scanning and which one is more economical and sufficient.

In order of price:
When I broke my hand, I had an X-ray(bones) done.
When I tore my rotator cuff, I had an MRI(muscle, tendons, joints) done.
When I had diverticulitis with an abscess, I had a Ct Scan(like an MRI but for more severe injuries) done.

Looks like you should get an MRI done first before a CT Scan.

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Bloodwork was good

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Watch out sometimes superAIDS gets past traditional bloodwork.


But seriously, talk to both doctors to see if they can get the information they are looking for from the other scan. They may have chosen the scan they did just for personal preference, but it may be that the other scan would suffice.

CT is X-ray based, and can look at most anything. Except it’s terrible at defining soft tissue and ligament/tendon issues.

MRI uses magnets to line up molecules in your cells. Great for looking at soft tissue and ligament/tendon issues, and to see how many cell layers are between say a tumor and normal tissue, but bad at most everything else.

A in both just means angiogram, so they are giving some type of dye that will light up the arteries. You can have a contrasted study for both, where they give dye, but not specifically in the arteries.

So basically, CT would be better for broad range trying to find the cause, but if it’s negative, they may get the MRI to try to find ligamentous injury

ETA: I don’t know exactly where your pain is, but sometimes you can have “shoulder” pain as referred pain from something irritating the diaphragm. In that case, a CT would be better at finding that

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New studies are pointing to magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) as equally effective in doing the same thing, without exposing patients to ionizing radiation.

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LINK

MRA is much more prone to artifact. And more expensive.

The ones with the A behind it mean they are looking at blood vessels by means of using contrast. You wouldn't get an MRA for an injury like a knee or shoulder.