MRI in Bangkok

[Hotrats]

4 hours ago, simon43 said:

I had a prostate MRI scan at Bumrungrad (about 55,000 baht), then returned to the UK with the detailed scan files which were then analysed by the UK doctors, prior to a prostate biopsy. Having the scans meant that they were able to perform the biopsy (24 samples) in both general areas and specific regions where the MRI showed growths.  Happily, those growths turned out to be benign prostate stones.

 

My investigation and  treatment was fast-tracked in the UK NHS system: Register with GP within 3 days of arrival, see GP 2 days later, hospital first appointment the following week, biopsy soon after (delayed a few weeks purely for medical reasons - UTIs).

Thanks for that info. I am about to get an MRI scan done here in Bangkok, probably with mrithailand (as recommended by Sheryl. I will then have to decide whether to have any needed follow up treatment here in Thailand or back in the UK.

So I have 2 questions, 1) were you charged by the NHS as a non UK resident? and 2) how long ago did you do this? Thanks.

[john donson]

20 hours ago, timendres said:

When getting an MRI, the primary concern is "resolution".

I had a "cheap" MRI done for a tumor.

I then returned to Samitivej hospital, where the doctor informed me that the MRI was useless to him, because there was not enough resolution to determine what he needed to know.

What I did not understand was that the reason the MRI was so cheap was that they used older equipment that was low-resolution.

I then had to pay another 20,000 to Samitivej to get an MRI that the doctor could actually use.

So, be sure to ask the doctor what sort of resolution you need to be sure you are not wasting money.

 

or it might be, you have to do your mri in my hospital where I get a cut of the super inflated bill so I can pay my mia noi...

 

[john donson]

5 hours ago, Thailand J said:

I went to the website, clicked on "online booking", and then " Book now for Foreigner".

scrolled down to see their prices on leftside of the screen.

I am interested in whole spine MRI, 27000B here.

Yesterday I was quoted 22,000B at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. I hope there is no misunderstanding over the phone. I am going to visit the hospital today to confirm .

 

22k for BPH, could be just the mri, not extra hidden hospital costs, dr fee, nurse fee, body weight fee, temperature check fee, blood pressure fee, tools , cleaning, ...

[isaanistical]

21 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Anyone have any experience or other recommendations? 

experience of that company, yes. I note Sheryl's provisos, (which I don't need to understand but you should), but for regular MRI of leg/joint injuries on several occasions I found them very efficient and fairly priced. They have a branch at Bangna very close to Srinakarin.

[PaoloR]

Just returned from a full spine MRI at Wattanapat Hospital in Trang.

Quoted 22k 

Advised by my referring doctor to question the price and inform them that I was resident in Thailand.

Paid 11.2k after showing my retirement visa.

Purpose of the scan was to monitor spinal stenosis and the site of a 2-year-old herniated disc.

Quality of the scan was fine (sadly my spine is not!)

 

Prices can be very different when you move away from hospitals in tourist areas

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, dlclark97 said:

I understand an MRI is expensive.  I have had a few.  What you want is to be sure the person reading the results is 100% qualified to produce an accurate diagnosis.  This is not the time to skimp because of a few thousand baht.  BNH (Bangkok Nursing Home) on Convent Rd is my suggestion.  Am sure there are several with qualified doctors to interpret the results.

 

The imaging center will provide the scan on DVD, allowing specialist in other hospital to interpret it.

 

Anywhere in Thailand, the radiology reports are of limited use and most specialists won't eve4n read it, just call up the scan on the computer and read it themselves.

 

That said, it is risky to have a scan with contrast media outside of a hospital. A minority of people have severe, life-threatening reactions.

 

 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Robbie Eastwood said:

You need a contrast agent to highlight things - they usually use Gadolinium. Indeed an MRI used to be a GMRI until too many patients got too scared by the name and radioactive impression.  I had a MRI with contrast (Gadolinium) about four years ago on my eye and it was fine. Though the Dr did not want to admit Gadolinium was being used until I told him I used to work in that industry.

 

Anyway you have no problems from a radioactive standpoint and I only mention it as if you say I need a contrast /Gadolinium MRI they should understand you know what you are talking about - and you wont get a dud scan.

 

The drip feeding it in my case went in a vein on my hand just down from my middle finger.

 

Hope it helps

 

Contrast agent is only needed for some things.

 

Where the issue is orthopedic, usually not.

 

When looking at (or for) a tumor or blood vessels, usually is.

 

"Radioactive" is nto an issue but adverse/allergic reaction to the contrast material is. Affects only a minority of people but can be life-threatening and needs immediate emergency measures. Hence my recommendation not to have scan with contrast media outside of a hospital.

 

 

[Dirk Z]

Just have an MRI done without a doctor and query involved is often not a good idea. They're are many different MRI techniques, different machines and the question of contrast. I had a pleasant experience with an mri of my wife at a place near Saphan Thaksin. But I can read them myself.

[scubascuba3]

54 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Contrast agent is only needed for some things.

 

Where the issue is orthopedic, usually not.

I needed contrast for a shoulder injury which turned out to be a labral tear

[josephbloggs]

23 hours ago, Sheryl said:

That place is fine and many use it.

HOWEVER it is inadvisable to get MRI or CT with contrast outside of a hospital setting. For a mass  contrast media is often needed, and from the price quoted this is what was planned. 

 

 

I sssume this was found on abdominal ultrasound which many Thai checkup packages include despite not being recommended for general screening by any public health authority.  These frequently pick up liver and kidney cysts of no real  significance .

 

Can you post here the exact ultrasound finding?  In particular the size and appearance of the mass.

Hi Sheryl,

Attached is the summary of the finding and also the ultrasounds (sorry not sure if all are relevant or not).

Many thanks.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

Hi Sheryl,

Attached is the summary of the finding and also the ultrasounds (sorry not sure if all are relevant or not).

Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

I am completely confused. Your OP stated there was a mass on the kidney for which an MRI was advised.

 

The US report you list, is for the breast.

 

And the films you attach are of the uterus and ovaries.

 

??????

 

For what area of the biody was she recommended to have an MRI?

 

Please attach the relevant US report.

[josephbloggs]

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I am completely confused. Your OP stated there was a mass on the kidney for which an MRI was advised.

 

The US report you list, is for the breast.

 

And the films you attach are of the uterus and ovaries.

 

??????

 

For what area of the biody was she recommended to have an MRI?

 

Please attach the relevant US report.

Sorry, maybe I copied the wrong bit, maybe I'll just scan the entire page and just black out personal information.

I wasn't sure on the ultrasound as they didn't look like kidneys to me but that is all they gave her.

Will check the report again when I get home. Sorry for the confusion. You can delete my earlier misleading post if it helps.

[slsmith38]

My daughter had MRI at Prachachuen Bang Na clinic last November. Service was good and appeared to be good value compared to private hospitals. For comparison here is what we were charged for numerous scans. No issues with the image quality. Doctor on site reviewed the images with us for an additional THB500 fee.

 

[simon43]

9 hours ago, Hotrats said:

...

So I have 2 questions, 1) were you charged by the NHS as a non UK resident? and 2) how long ago did you do this? Thanks.

1 - No charge.  I was upfront with both my new GP and hospital doctors that I had been living in south-east Asia for more than 20 years, and my French medical insurance company had cancelled by cover when I tried to claim for the MRI costs (they cited the fact that I omitted to tell them that I had mild BPH, which is totally unrelated to prostate cancer. Ho hum... The topic of me paying for treatment never arose at all.

 

2 - This was in February 2023.

[timendres]

12 hours ago, john donson said:

or it might be, you have to do your mri in my hospital where I get a cut of the super inflated bill so I can pay my mia noi...

 

In my experience, it has been the other way around.

Doctors from the private hospitals putting in time at government hospitals.

A friend was provided a quote and he explained he could not pay.

The doctor suggested he go to the government hospital where the same doctor would perform the procedure at a much lower cost.

 

[josephbloggs]

7 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

I am completely confused. Your OP stated there was a mass on the kidney for which an MRI was advised.

 

The US report you list, is for the breast.

 

And the films you attach are of the uterus and ovaries.

 

??????

 

For what area of the biody was she recommended to have an MRI?

 

Please attach the relevant US report.

Hi Sheryl,

Here is the report. I also have 15 ultrasound images downloaded from the Samitivej app. I can send them by PM if it would help to see them. 15 images to manually delete personal info from is a bit much but happy to send them unedited by PM if it helps - I have absolutely no idea which ones may be relevant but at least these are of the kidneys this time.

Thanks again in advance.

 

 

[georgegeorgia]

16 hours ago, scorecard said:

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs (DVA) in Australia asked me to get an MRI covering full back and both knees. I had the MRI at McCormick hospital here in Chiang Mai. McCormick billed direct to the DVA.

 

The images were sent to a specialist medical facility in India and they provided a very detailed analysis within the same day. 

 

McCormick sent a copy of the MRI and the detailed analysis from India direct to the DVA (as required by DVA procedures). A few days later I got an e.mail from my DVA support person with a detailed message from the DVA Orthopedic specialist doctor saying:

- confirm receipt of everything from McCormick

- confirm acceptance of the professional analysis provided by the Indian MRI professionals. Included detailed commentary that there was 2 points of damage to my lower back and damage to both knees. 

 

 

Dept of Veterans affairs?

Very lucky , I don't mind paying my taxes for that 

Edited September 4 by georgegeorgia

[Hotrats]

11 hours ago, simon43 said:

1 - No charge.  I was upfront with both my new GP and hospital doctors that I had been living in south-east Asia for more than 20 years, and my French medical insurance company had cancelled by cover when I tried to claim for the MRI costs (they cited the fact that I omitted to tell them that I had mild BPH, which is totally unrelated to prostate cancer. Ho hum... The topic of me paying for treatment never arose at all.

 

2 - This was in February 2023.

Many thanks for the speedy and helpful reply. I too have been living in South East Asia for over 20 years, so your experience is very encouraging.

[Sheryl]

10 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Hi Sheryl,

Here is the report. I also have 15 ultrasound images downloaded from the Samitivej app. I can send them by PM if it would help to see them. 15 images to manually delete personal info from is a bit much but happy to send them unedited by PM if it helps - I have absolutely no idea which ones may be relevant but at least these are of the kidneys this time.

Thanks again in advance.

 

 

 

No need to attach films, I am not proficient in reading them anyhow.

 

From the report, there is a very large mass on the kidney with features that suggest it is not just a simple cyst.  Could be a complicated cyst, could be a benign tumor, could be cancer. Hence the recommendation for further imaging.

 

I am a bit surprised MRI was recommended, as usually it would be a special type of CT with contrast.  This has to be done at a hospital and involves a special protocol which a regular imaging center would not be able to offer (plus, as previously mentioned, receiving contrast media outside of a hospital setting is risky).

 

Going forward it is important to be under the care of a urologist with expertise in diagnosis and treatment of kidney tumors. The most expertise in this is at Ramathibodi Hospital (though the top doctors there also have hours at various private hospitals).  Your wife could go there through the public channel explaining she has a mass on her kidney, or she could consult one of their top doctors privately as follows:

 

https://www.phyathai.com/en/doctor/dr-kittinut-kijvikai

 

Not only the CT/MRI but possibly also subsequent treatment (depending on final diagnosis) could be costly. Is your wife a Thai citizen? If so, at what hospital is she registered under the universal health scheme?

 

 

 

 

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

No need to attach films, I am not proficient in reading them anyhow.

 

From the report, there is a very large mass on the kidney with features that suggest it is not just a simple cyst.  Could be a complicated cyst, could be a benign tumor, could be cancer. Hence the recommendation for further imaging.

 

I am a bit surprised MRI was recommended, as usually it would be a special type of CT with contrast.  This has to be done at a hospital and involves a special protocol which a regular imaging center would not be able to offer (plus, as previously mentioned, receiving contrast media outside of a hospital setting is risky).

 

Going forward it is important to be under the care of a urologist with expertise in diagnosis and treatment of kidney tumors. The most expertise in this is at Ramathibodi Hospital (though the top doctors there also have hours at various private hospitals).  Your wife could go there through the public channel explaining she has a mass on her kidney, or she could consult one of their top doctors privately as follows:

 

https://www.phyathai.com/en/doctor/dr-kittinut-kijvikai

 

Not only the CT/MRI but possibly also subsequent treatment (depending on final diagnosis) could be costly. Is your wife a Thai citizen? If so, at what hospital is she registered under the universal health scheme?

 

 

 

 

Thank you, much appreciated. Her first port of call on the Universal Health program is Kluaynamthai Srinakarin and then they will redirect her to somewhere else depending on the need. And yes she is Thai.

She went to Vibharam this morning and will have a CT scan this afternoon to find out exactly what it is then we will take it from there. She said the doctor she consulted with was very kind, explained all the things it could be etc. At Samitivej she said they just scared her and pressured her to get an immediate MRI scan followed by surgery.

I will let you know the results when we find out. I guess the next course of action will depend on the severity of what they discover.

Edited September 5 by josephbloggs

[josephbloggs]

4 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Thank you, much appreciated. Her first port of call on the Universal Health program is Kluaynamthai Srinakarin and then they will redirect her to somewhere else depending on the need. And yes she is Thai.

She went to Vibharam this morning and will have a CT scan this afternoon to find out exactly what it is then we will take it from there. She said the doctor she consulted with was very kind, explained all the things it could be etc. At Samitivej she said they just scared her and pressured her to get an immediate MRI scan followed by surgery.

I will let you know the results when we find out. I guess the next course of action will depend on the severity of what they discover.

@Sheryl  So she had the CT scan and they say 99% it is cancer. They can schedule a surgery for Monday. 

I am not sure what is the best course of action, put our trust in Vibharam as they can move quickly? Or I see Dr Kittinut Kijvikai is available Saturday, do you think it is worth talking to him first?  Our guts say just go for the operation on Monday.

Edited September 5 by josephbloggs

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

@Sheryl  So she had the CT scan and they say 99% it is cancer. They can schedule a surgery for Monday. 

I am not sure what is the best course of action, put our trust in Vibharam as they can move quickly? Or I see Dr Kittinut Kijvikai is available Saturday, do you think it is worth talking to him first?  Our guts say just go for the operation on Monday.

Who is the surgeon at Vibharam?

[Patong2021]

delete

Edited September 5 by Patong2021

[josephbloggs]

41 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Who is the surgeon at Vibharam?

His name is KITTIPHAT THONGLEK, M.D.

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

His name is KITTIPHAT THONGLEK, M.D.

He seems welll qualified. Since your wife is comfortable with him (and presumably costs are affordable for you) I think you are right to proceed. 

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

He seems welll qualified. Since your wife is comfortable with him (and presumably costs are affordable for you) I think you are right to proceed. 

Thank you Sheryl. Costs are manageable (350k baht) but it wouldn't matter the cost to be honest, I would find a way. She feels comfortable with hm and will have the surgery on Thursday next week. Fingers are crossed.

Thanks again for your help and input.

[Sheryl]

Wishing you (and her) all the best. 

[josephbloggs]

On 9/6/2024 at 7:21 PM, Sheryl said:

Wishing you (and her) all the best. 

Just an update she had the surgery on Thursday. We have been very happy with the surgeons and the care at Vibharam. She is obviously still there and recovering but so far so good.

About an hour ago we had news back from the lab that it is benign, just a pretty large tumour which would have had to be removed anyway (around 10cm). After the CT scan we were told that it is 99% cancer.  Samitivej scared the pants of her - especially with their pressure - but Vibharam was more measured, but even so they said it is almost certainly cancer. So to hear today that it is benign a fantastic thing especially as my wife isn't old and we have two kids.

But hooray for Vibharam so far.

[Sheryl]

4 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Just an update she had the surgery on Thursday. We have been very happy with the surgeons and the care at Vibharam. She is obviously still there and recovering but so far so good.

About an hour ago we had news back from the lab that it is benign, just a pretty large tumour which would have had to be removed anyway (around 10cm). After the CT scan we were told that it is 99% cancer.  Samitivej scared the pants of her - especially with their pressure - but Vibharam was more measured, but even so they said it is almost certainly cancer. So to hear today that it is benign a fantastic thing especially as my wife isn't old and we have two kids.

But hooray for Vibharam so far.

Excellent news!

 

Thank you for the update.

 

(10 cm is a large tumor indeed!!)

[Ben Zioner]

On 9/3/2024 at 4:10 PM, NativeBob said:

Samitivej, Bamrungrad, Bangkok - stay away from those. Houses of ripoffs

Hmmmhh This is what my Insurance recommends, wonder why?