Regarding “Bone Scans” for Tailbone Pain, Coccyx Pain… Someone recently asked me to explain the difference between a DEXA Scan and a Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan. DEXA: A dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, also called a bone density scan, is a common technique used to measure bone density. This test is basically done to […]
Medical imaging studies for Tailbone Pain Medical imaging studies can be very helpful in making an accurate diagnosis in patients with coccyx pain (also called coccydynia, or tailbone pain). The most common medical imaging studies for tailbone pain include: X-rays: especially “sitting-versus-standing” x-rays to look for “dynamic instability” ( unstable joints of the coccyx). MRI: […]
Sometimes I find that my patients with tailbone pain (coccyx pain, coccydynia) actually have a mass, cyst, tumor, or cancer either within the tailbone itself or in the nearby tissues. Examples can include pilonidal cyst, retro-rectal hamartoma (tailgut cyst), chordoma (a type of bone cancer that tends to happen at the coccyx and is […]
I was recently asked: Do I order sitting-versus-standing coccyx x-rays for patients who have persistent pain after coccygectomy (surgical removal of the coccyx/tailbone).
MY RESPONSE:
1) First of all, do we know for sure whether the ENTIRE tailbone has indeed been surgically removed?
If we know for sure that the entire tailbone has been […]
Which is better when evaluating tailbone pain (coccyx pain), an MRI or a CT scan? CT scan can be very good at showing bone, but MRI can show not only bone but ALSO give good definition of soft tissue structures. Some of the soft tissue structures that show up clearly on MRI include: abscess (which […]
Typical MRI and CT scans are normally done in a horizontal position (while you are lying down).
These tests can provide helpful information, BUT in MANY cases the tailbone will look normal while someone is lying down but will be clearly abnormal/dislocated while the person is sitting with her body weight onto the tailbone.
MRI […]
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