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Radiology
Our Radiology Department is staffed by registered Radiological Technologists. Studies are interpreted by Board-certified Radiologists (doctors with specialized training in Radiology procedures.) Routine hours are Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. We have a technologist on call at all times to handle emergencies. Radiology services at DQMC consist of general x-ray procedures, ultrasound, CT scans (computed tomography), mammography, and nuclear medicine and bone density studies.
CT Scan is short for computed tomography, an advanced technology system that studies the inner workings of your body. With the CT Scan, the physician can actually see body parts from the outside. It is particularly helpful in diagnosing and monitoring diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spine), as well as the chest, pelvis and abdomen.
Ultrasound is an examination technique which uses high frequency sound waves to make still and live video pictures of the heart, digestive, reproductive, urinary tracts, or any other soft tissue structures within the body. The sound waves are produced by a device called a transducer. The transducer is moved across the surface of the skin while the sound waves are painlessly sent to the area of the body to be scanned. Much like sonar, the sound waves bounce off the organs and are converted into pictures. Because there are no harmful
x-rays or radiation, a sonogram is especially useful in evaluating pregnancy. The procedure is painless, with no short or long- term side effects.
Nuclear Medicine scans require the use of a tiny amount of radioactive material, called radionuclide. In this medical application, radioactivity is used beneficially. The procedure is safe and painless. The radionuclide is introduced into your system orally or with an I.V. injection. As it travels to the area to be examined, a special imaging machine called a gamma camera makes precise images of the area. Different radioactive
materials are used depending upon the organ or gland to be examined.
Specific scans are named according to the organ system being evaluated, such as bone scan, liver/spleen scan, lung scan and so on.
Mammography is an x-ray of the breast. The key role of mammography is identifying a site of breast cancer early in its development, when it is very small. A cancer site can often be detected up to one year before it is large enough to be felt as a lump.
Mammography detects 2 - 3 times as many early breast cancers as physical examination, and is the best method for detecting the presence of a small lump or tiny group or micro-calcifications, which may be the only sign of breast cancer.
We have technologists who are trained in mammography and perform mammography routinely. We also have radiologists (doctors who read x-rays) that are specifically trained in mammography. We meet or exceed all MQSA (Federal guidelines for mammography.) We are also very proud of a new mammography unit installed in April of 2005.
Bone Densitometry is a state-of-the-art radiology procedure which determines bone mineral density, or bone mass. Densitometry is a way of measuring the strength of your bones by testing how dense they are. Osteoporosis affects about 10 million Americans. Bone density testing can mean early, more effective treatment. Bone density testing can show if you have, or may get, osteoporosis. It can also show if you are at risk for fractures, and can monitor your treatment of osteoporosis.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI is a procedure which gathers information about your body through the use of a computer, and transmits it as a permanent record. It is a way to look inside the body without using x-rays. MRI can produce 2 or 3 dimensional images. It uses a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer. The magnet is large enough to surround the patient. MRI pictures are extremely precise, so precise that often we get more information from the scan than we would get from looking directly at the tissue. For this reason, MRI has the potential to reduce the need for certain diagnostic surgeries.
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