Does a mri of the lumbar spine show any part of the hip or pelvis? i had an mri of my knee last week and it shows and "incidental" finding of a tumor in my femur. i have been having decreased rom and pain of my right hip and knee for about 3 months. hist

When : When you have a bone scan all of your bones are assessed. A radioactive substance is injected into a vein in your arm. This substance (called a tracer) travels through your blood and eventually into your bones. This process may take hours. A special camera is then used to take pictures of the tracer in your bones. Areas that absorb very little or none at all are called dark or "cold" spots. This means there may be a lack of blood supply to the bone or it could be a sign of certain types of cancer. Areas that are bright or "hot" spots are areas of fast bone growth or repair . This may signify problems such as arthritis, a fracture, a tumor, or an infection. Make sure all your questions are answered before and after the procedure. Best of luck.

Lumbar MRI: To answer your question, no. Lumbar MRI will show from the lower thoracic spine (t10 or so) down to the sacrum and sacroiliac joints. This view window does not expand out far enough to see the hip joints at all. You would need a hip specific mri. Use of contrast on MRI may be useful to determine vascularity of "tumor" and whether further study is warranted. For sure, follow up with your doc.