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MRI with valsava for imaging & diagnosing hernia?
Hi Dr Towfigh, thank you for the reply and additional information!
A quick update: I had the MRI with valsava done and just got a call with results, the radiologist interpretation is a “small inguinal hernia that increases in size with valsava”, it is “fat containing” and “tip of bowel may be present during valsava”. There is also a “thickening or edema of the cord structures” – but they aren’t sure if that is related. I find that particularly interesting because the pain and discomfort I have often feels like a pinch in the left spermatic cord, sometimes radiating down and sometimes radiating up. I basically never have pain in the thigh, pain is almost always in the left groin, sometimes left testicle, and along the lower portion of the left inguinal region. Also curious to me is that no femoral hernia was visible on MRI, which was what an ultrasound had reported, I am not sure what to make of that. I do have an appointment with a surgeon in two weeks to hear additional details, and to see what their thoughts are. I don’t know if it matters, but I am thin / athletic with low body fat, and there is no palpable finding and nothing visible to the eye. Nonetheless, I am hoping for a match with the physical location of my pain and the physical location of the defect found on MRI – we’ll see if that is possible.
Now this is just my personal opinion, but for anyone with pelvic or groin pain that has been an ongoing diagnostic mystery (it sounds like there are a fair amount of us out there!)… I would HIGHLY recommend having the MRI with valsava done, it may show information that has been missed or otherwise not seen, and it may lead to getting some answers.
Anyway, I’ll continue to post updates as I get more information.