Scans & Tests · Crohn's disease

Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Crohn's disease

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Crohn's disease, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

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Blood and stool tests first

Crohn's disease is assessed with blood tests and a stool test (including faecal calprotectin, which looks for inflammation in the gut). These are tests, not scans.

Colonoscopy

The main test, and not a scan: a camera passed through the bowel, with small samples (biopsies) taken to confirm the diagnosis.

MRI

An MRI of the small bowel is sometimes used to see parts a colonoscopy cannot reach.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to build detailed pictures of soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, cartilage, discs and the brain. It uses no radiation.

How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes, lying still inside a tunnel-shaped scanner.

Good for: Soft-tissue and joint detail: ligament and cartilage injuries, the spine and discs, and the brain.

Typical UK private cost: £300 to £1145. Usually bookable within days.

Sources: NICE (NG129), NHS. [1] (opens in new tab)

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?

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