Health Organization for Pudendal Education

I am interested in a 3T MRI. I live near Minneapolis. I can obviously see the benefit in having it done to identify the area(s) of entrapment. However, once armed with this information, what good does it do if the surgeon will do the full entrapment surgery regardless of the MRI results. For example, let's say my 3T MRI just shows an entrapment in the Alcock's area. Is there even a surgeon who will only release this area, or will he do the entire surgery, cutting ligaments, etc.? Why do the full trans-glute surgery if there is only blockage in Alcock's canal? Can anyone shed light on this?

Jim

It depends where you are entrapped as to what surgeons are available to you. For example, if you entrapped at distal Alcock's per MRI, you can only see Dr. Dellon or Dr. Aszmann in Austria. Same goes for the terminal branches (dorsal, perineal, rectal). If you entrapped as I am at the SS ligament, there are other surgeons who would do the TG approach.

cari

carolynm wrote:It depends where you are entrapped as to what surgeons are available to you. For example, if you entrapped at distal Alcock's per MRI, you can only see Dr. Dellon or Dr. Aszmann in Austria. Same goes for the terminal branches (dorsal, perineal, rectal). If you entrapped as I am at the SS ligament, there are other surgeons who would do the TG approach.

cari

sorry cari can dr. Aszmann address also rectal's branches entrapment now?
my recent Potter's Mri showed scar encasement of inferior perineal branches of the pudendal distribution.

Yes, you can PM A's Mommy on this forum and she can give you more information.

cm

Dr. Potter is a radiologist and technically they read imaging exams and prepare a report for the referring physician. The only time they talk to a patient is following an exam if they have the time. Their job is not to prescribe treatment but to prepare reports. Dr. Pottter has been known to talk to patients following an exam and to give her opinion in response to specific questions with the stipulation that designing treatment plans is not her role. Sometimes she has time to go over the images with you (as she did with me) and some times she doesn't. The best way to get to talk to her following an exam is to ask her PA if she could possibly spare a few minutes to talk with you as you would be greatly appreciative if she did.

I had the MRI in Phoenix with Kalinkan through orders by Dr. Hibner. Kalinkan does have the software and protocol. I had the MRI with and without contrast. They found nothing.

Dr. Hibner told me that he does not put much weight on the MRIs now. He had hoped the MRI would turn out to be a useful tool for diagnostics and surgery decisions. However, his experience has been that nearly all of Potter's MRIs seem to find something whereas Kalinkan's MRIs usually find nothing. Hibner, Kalinkan and Potter worked very closely on this.

Emily B.

sorry emily but by your statements I don't understand if we have to discount Dr. Potter's findings or not.....
many of the people on this forum say that it is worth having that Mri done and also the emg test is often not reliable.
I came from Italy to Usa and her exam gave me some more details to understand the mess that I have in my pelvis.
However so far I can't say if my entrapment is really the cause of my problems because I haven't been re-operated yet to confirm her findings but what she found matches very nearly with my symptoms

I wasn't discounting Potter at all. I was just letting everyone know what Dr. Hibner told me. I wish I could afford to go have an MRI by Dr. Potter to see what it would show.

Emily B.

Ray, I could be wrong but if I were getting an MRI from Dr. Potter I would look at it as just one piece of the puzzle that could provide some valuable information but might not necessarily confirm a diagnosis. Symptoms and history probably carry a lot more weight with the docs than any imaging reports. There are no published reports on how reliable the 3 T MRI's are in the diagnosis of PNE and whether they correlate with findings during surgery.

Violet

My doctor has just referred me to get an MRI is Seattle. How do I hookup with the radiologist to use Potter's software and protocol?

The facility she wants to refer me to only has 1.5T machines, though there are other available facilities using 3T. Should I ask he to send me to one that uses 3T?