Medically reviewed by Barry D. Pressman, M.D., Chair of the Division of Imaging at Cedars-Sinai
Medical imaging is utilized by healthcare suppliers (HCPs) to view the physique and collect data to diagnose and deal with medical situations. Understanding the several types of medical imaging may also help you already know what to anticipate.
X-ray
X-rays use radiation to shortly and painlessly create pictures of buildings inside your physique. They’re generally used to diagnose bone issues, breast most cancers and infections.
- One kind of X-ray referred to as a bone density check (DEXA scan) measures the mineral content material of your bones to see how sturdy they’re. It’s used to verify for low bone mass (osteopenia) and weak, brittle bones (osteoporosis).
- One other kind of X-ray, a mammogram, is breast imaging that’s used to detect breast most cancers.
- Routine mammograms carried out to verify for breast most cancers are referred to as screening mammograms.
- Mammograms carried out as a result of a lady is displaying indicators of breast most cancers, or after suspicious outcomes on a screening mammogram, are referred to as diagnostic mammograms.
What to anticipate:
Relying on the kind of X-ray, you’ll be requested to lie down or stand nonetheless, and probably swap positions, whereas the machine takes the pictures. You need to be achieved in 10 to fifteen minutes.
Ideas and methods:
- Put on free clothes, and don’t put on something with buckles, buttons or zippers. Steel can intrude with the check outcomes.
- Don’t schedule a mammogram in the course of the week earlier than your interval. It may be tougher to get a very good image in case your breasts are swollen, and your breasts could also be extra delicate right now.
- When stepping into for a mammogram, don’t put on deodorant, antiperspirant, powders, lotions or fragrance below your arms or round your breasts as a result of they might present up as white spots on the X-ray.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
MRIs use magnetic waves to create detailed pictures of organs and tissue. They can be utilized to diagnose stroke and blood vessel points, spinal wire issues, tumors, a number of sclerosis (MS), aneurysms, joint accidents, and extra.
What to anticipate:
You’ll be requested to take away all of your garments and placed on a hospital robe. Then, you’ll lie on a desk that slides right into a tunnel-like MRI machine, which can make loud noises because the magnets work. An MRI normally takes 45 minutes to an hour.
Ideas and methods:
- Speak to your HCP about choices for serving to you chill out throughout your MRI, equivalent to soothing music or a sleep masks.
- Some checks require you to be confined in a small area. Speak to your HCP about your choices if in case you have any considerations about claustrophobia.
- You can not have any steel within the room with you, since an MRI is a huge magnet. Remember to alert the technician if in case you have any steel in your physique.
PET scan
PET scans present how organs and tissues are functioning. Present process a PET scan entails inhaling, swallowing or getting a shot of radioactive drugs (referred to as a tracer) so a machine can learn the radiation these tracers give off. PET scans are sometimes used to diagnose most cancers, coronary heart issues, Alzheimer’s illness, epilepsy and Parkinson’s illness.
What to anticipate:
After being given the tracer, you’ll lie on a desk that slides right into a donut-shaped scanner. Your entire course of will take round two hours.
Ideas and methods:
- You received’t be allowed to eat or drink for six hours earlier than your PET scan (besides plain water with nothing added).
- When you’re breastfeeding, you won’t be able to breastfeed for twenty-four hours after getting your tracer due to the publicity to radiation.
CT scan
Computerized tomography, or CT scans, use many X-ray pictures to create a cross-section of physique elements, equivalent to bones, blood vessels and gentle tissues. CT scans are generally used to evaluate traumatic accidents, fractures, tumors, infections, coronary heart issues, most cancers and extra.
What to anticipate:
You’ll lie on a desk that slides right into a donut-shaped scanner, the place an X-ray tube will rotate round you whereas taking pictures. CT scans are normally fast, lasting solely about 10 to fifteen minutes.
Ideas and methods:
- You possibly can most likely maintain your personal garments on so long as you keep away from sporting clothes with steel zippers or snaps. (Go away jewellery at residence, together with steel piercings.)
- Keep away from consuming and ingesting for 4 hours earlier than your CT scan.
Ultrasound
Ultrasounds use sound waves to seize pictures of buildings within the physique. Along with serving to monitor being pregnant, ultrasounds can be utilized to diagnose gallbladder illness, breast lumps, swollen joints, genital points and extra.
- One kind of ultrasound, a transvaginal ultrasound, entails inserting the imaging system (referred to as a transducer) into the vagina. This enables HCPs to see the organs inside your pelvic cavity, together with your cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
- Throughout being pregnant, transvaginal ultrasounds are frequent in the course of the first trimester (the primary 12 weeks). After that, your HCP will doubtless wish to do a minimum of one stomach ultrasound (additionally referred to as a sonogram) to verify your child’s growth.
What to anticipate:
An ultrasound technician will apply gel to your pores and skin, then transfer the transducer round to create pictures of what’s happening inside your physique. The ultrasound will most likely final half-hour to at least one hour.
Ideas and methods:
- For some varieties of ultrasounds, you could be requested to not eat or drink earlier than the process.
- For an ultrasound throughout being pregnant, you’ll doubtless want to point out as much as your appointment with a full bladder to assist the technician get a greater view of your child.
When you have questions on healthcare imaging, speak to your HCP.
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