Brian Richard Decosta, M.D.

Plain film X-rays as your daughter is getting for her arm are not harmful to children because of the low doses. CT scans have a much higher dose of radiation and are cumulatively harmful to children. The X-ray dose from a flight from East Coast to California would be equivalent to a single chest X-ray which is more radiation than received from an X-ray to the arm.

Thanks,

Brian

It can be seen on a plain X ray of the chest if it is large enough. However, a low dose lung cancer screening chest CT is a much more sensitive test and can detect lung cancer at an early stage.

An MRI of the abdomen can take up to an hour depending on what kind of information is being ordered with the study. There are also breathing instructions to follow doing the MRI procedure. Sometimes with more powerful or sophisticated machines, the scan time is reduced.

CT scan of the chest can detect lung cancer, benign lung nodules, pneumonia, pulmonary edema. interstitial lung disease and a whole host of other processes in the lungs, mediastinum, vascular structures, heart, pleura, chest wall, upper abdomen, lower neck, osseous structures, etc. It is very sensitive. When combined with contrast, it is excellent for evaluation of the vessels.

Thanks,

Brian

Mammography is very good at picking out suspicious masses as well as picking out suspicious microcalcifications within the breast. Mammography by itself will not tell you if you have cancer. Follow-up imaging such as breast MRI or ultrasound would be necessary for confirmation. Following these secondary tests, if elation look suspiciMammography is very good at picking out suspicious masses as well as picking out suspicious microcalcifications within the breast. Mammography by itself will not tell you if you have cancer. Follow-up imaging such as breast MRI or ultrasound would be necessary for confirmation. Following these secondary tests, if the lesion suspicious for cancer, then image guided biopsy such as ultrasound guided biopsy with a mammotome Is used to obtain a pathological specimen which can be further evaluated to plan surgery. Following a routine mammograms, it is often necessary to do spot mammograms with vocal compression of the breast to determine if a suspicious have the Millatti represents artifact such as Overlapping of breast parenchyma lines. If the abnormality persists on the Spot imaging, then the next step is ultrasound or other imaging modalities.

MRI is not a painful. The only thing that it can be is noisy and claustrophobic. Also, you can take a fair bit of time depending on what is being imaged and what is desired of the imaging study. Sometimes, intravenous contrast material needs to be injected prior to the MRI. If this is the case, then they can be some discomfort from needle placement for the IV injection.

MRI does not use ionizing radiation. It uses radio waves. So there is no ionizing radiation exposure. This is a significant advantage over a CT scan which has a large dose of ionizing radiation.

Most larger facilities provide the results of MRI on the same day of the test. Sometimes, depending on how complex the imaging is, then it may be necessary to spend a little bit more time. Most of the time, the results of imaging are available either the same day or the next day.

CT scans are definitely more accurate then plane from x-rays because they use transaxial imaging which provides location. Also, CT scan can be performed following intravenous injection with contrast agent which is able to show certain disease processes. With plane film x-ray imaging, this would not be possible.

It very much depends on what you are looking for. Ultrasound is good for example for looking at the gallbladder. It is also good for looking at the pelvic organs. However, in the acute setting and for other organs including the liver, adrenal glands, kidneys as well as bowel, CT scan with or without contrast is a much better modality. The advantage of ultrasound Is that it is real time. The disadvantage is tissue penetration especially in larger patients. Another disadvantage is that it is operator dependent. The advantage of CT is that it is not operator dependent. The disadvantage is that there is radiation exposure.

Yes. A chest X ray is quite good at detecting bronchitis.

The MRI scan is not painful. In fact you will feel nothing at all. Some people feel it can be claustrophobic in the confined space of the MRI scanning machine. The magnetic pulses can be very noisy. For an MRI of the cervical spine it will take about 30 minutes. Some scans (if you have had prior cervical spine surgery for example) require the use of IV contrast injection which involves placing an IV line in the hand . The temporary IV line placement can be uncomfortable.

A CT scan of the neck will take not more then 10 minutes. If it is done following injection of IV contrast X Ray dye, then it can take a little longer but not much longer.

Brian

Plain film X-rays are the best way to evaluate for broken hand bones. Typically, the hand is X-rayed in the frontal, lateral, and oblique projections.
Hope this helps.

Brian

MRI is very good for finding inflammation, particularly following the injection of intravenous contrast.
Hope this helps.

Brian

What this means is that prior to your CT scan, the technologist or the doctor will cannulate your rectum with a rectal catheter and infuse in diluted oral contrast materal to took at your distal colon or rectosigmoid region. Sometimes this procedure is done is there is concern for a colovesicular or colovaginal fistulous communication. This approach is also used with more contrast to evaluate the appendix, but this is not as commonly used for the appendix as it used to be.

Hope this helps,

Brian

A chest x-ray gives a very low dose of radiation. This is especially the case with just a frontal chest x-ray. The dose from a chest x-ray is equivalent to a flight on an airplane from east to west. Not a lot of x-rays. It should be fine for a 15-y old.

Brian

A special type of CT scan known as a CTA which uses IV injected X ray dye material prior to the CT scan is useful for evaluating blocked or narrowed arteries.

Brian

It depends on where the aneurysm is located. If the aneurysm is suspected to be the abdominal aorta, then this is easy to screen using ultrasound. The first question would be know suspected location of the aneurysm before deciding on the modality.

The radiation does from a single frontal KUB x-ray is very low. Usually the pelvic region is protected especially the gonadal region for pediatric age patients. Frontal x-ray is the best way to detect fecal impaction. There are no other good tests. Ultrasound would not be helpful in this regard. The single frontal KUB (means kidneys ureters and bladder) is really the best test in this regard and the quickest to perform especially in the pediatric age group where other tests would be less desirable.

Brian