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Scans and X-rays

All questions

  • An MRI scan can be used to diagnose a wide range of conditions including:

    • Damage or disease of your bones, joints and muscles eg arthritis or tendon tears
    • Brain tumours and the extent of brain damage caused by a stroke
    • Heart defects, heart disease and the extent of damage to your heart caused by a heart attack
    • Diseases of your internal organs such as your liver, womb and prostate gland eg prostate cancer, liver cancer, liver cirrhosis
    • The cause of pelvic pain in women, such as endometriosis or fibroids, or womb abnormalities in women with fertility problems

    Visit our Spire MRI scan treatment page for more information.

  • An MRI scan can take between 15 to 90 minutes depending on which part of your body needs to be scanned.

  • CT scan is a fast and highly effective tool to provide detailed, cross-sectional views of areas of the body that may be hard to reach. Bones, internal organs, soft tissue and the brain can all be viewed in detail on a CT scan to help diagnose inflammation, hip pain, abdominal pain, crepitus, disease and cancer, and to monitor many other health conditions.

    Whereas a standard X-ray only sends out one beam to capture an image, during a CT scan several beams of X-ray are sent out at different angles. This creates a much more detailed picture in two or three dimensions.

    Visit our Spire CT scan treatment page for more information.

  • Your CT scan may take from 10 minutes to one hour.

  • An X-ray is used to diagnose the cause of discomfort or pain, track the progress of a condition and/or the effectiveness of a treatment. It creates images of the inside of your body, with dense tissues (eg bone) appearing white and less dense tissues (eg your internal organs) appearing in shades of grey. It is often used to detect bone fractures but can also help diagnose a range of other conditions including osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, gut problems, and problems with your heart and blood vessels. 

    An X-ray takes just a few seconds. You’ll be able to go home shortly afterwards.

    Visit our Spire X-ray treatment page for more information.

General appointment bookings

  • All enquiries relating to scans, X-rays and other imaging procedures are answered directly by our hospitals.

    Please contact the imaging department at your chosen hospital who will be able to advise you further.

  • Both scans produce images of the inside of your body. A CT scan is less expensive and quicker but uses X-rays (a type of ionising radiation). An MRI scan does not use ionising radiation but instead uses radio waves and strong magnets. It can produce more detailed images than a CT scan but is more expensive, takes longer and involves lying down in a tunnel, which some people find claustrophobic.

    The type of scan you have will depend on what needs to be investigated in your body. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of each of your scan options and recommend the most appropriate scan.

    Read more about a CT vs MRI scan.