Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - University of Virginia - 30

WHY IMAGING?

X-RAY

How it works: Using a small amount of
radiation, the X-ray unit takes pictures
of the dense structures inside the body.
What it's used for: Diagnosing broken bones, pneumonia and dental problems. Standard mammography uses
X-ray to look at breast tissue.

W IN TER 2016

What to expect: You'll need to lie
still on a table or stand in front of an
imaging plate for a few seconds while
the technician captures the image.
"For classic, simple things, X-ray is
very good and very low-cost," Fishman
says. "It's good for certain things, like if
you're worried about a fractured hip, a
fractured wrist-a fractured anything-
or pneumonia. The limitations are you
can only see things that are dense, and
it's a flat, 2-D image, so subtleties are
very hard to see."

CT SCAN

How it works: Computed tomography
(CT) scans use focused X-rays to create
cross-section images of the body, allowing for clearer images as compared with
simple X-rays.
What it's used for: Diagnosing such
issues as abdominal pain, blood clots,
cancer, congenital heart defects, herniated disks, inflammatory bowel disease
and internal bleeding.
What to expect: You'll lie still on a
table that will pass through a large circular machine that looks like a doughnut.
It's not confining. You may need to hold
your breath for a few seconds while the
machine takes an image. Some tests
require a contrast dye be consumed or
injected beforehand to make parts of
the body show up better on the images.
"CTs are the big workhorses of
medicine today," Fishman says. "You

ULTRASOUND

How it works: Ultrasound uses sound
waves to create an image. No radiation
is involved.
What it's used for: In addition to its
most notable use of looking at babies
in utero, ultrasound also helps doctors diagnose conditions of the organs,
including the heart, kidneys, liver, ovaries and thyroid.
What to expect: This one is easy-
you don't even need to worry about
holding still. You'll lie on a table and,
after applying some cold gel, a technician will run a wand over the area of
the body being looked at to create multiple images.
"Ultrasound uses sound waves, which
allows you to look at fluid and soft tissue," Fishman says. "It doesn't have the
detail of CT, but it's good for fluid density or when an area is surrounded by
fat. It's most often used on the uterus,
ovaries, gallbladder and thyroid gland,
because they're close to the surface of
the body."

TOP IMAGES BY EXACTOSTOCK/GLOW IMAGES | SPREAD PHOTO BY NICK VEASEY/GETTY IMAGES

Imaging tests are generally performed
for one of three reasons: to screen for a
common disease, to diagnose a condition
or to determine the extent of a disease.
They assist in assessing a wide range
of issues from torn muscles and broken
bones to aneurysms and cancer. They're
invaluable tools of modern medicine
that allow patients to avoid exploratory
surgery and unnecessary treatments. But
patients should be familiar with what
exactly is being ordered and why.
"It's important for patients to know
why they're getting a test and ask questions," says Elliot K. Fishman, MD, a
radiologist, an author and a member
of the Radiological Society of North
America. "Physicians shouldn't order a
test just because we can. Ask your physician why one test is being ordered over
another, and what exactly they're trying
to find with the study."
Next ask what you can expect during
the imaging appointment and how you
should prepare. Here are some basics to
get you started:

can look at it and accentuate a tissue,
whether it's air, lungs, soft tissue, nose,
muscle or bone, and also you can make
3-D imaging. It's very good for picking
up abnormalities, especially pneumonia,
tumors, cancer and aneurysms."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2016 - University of Virginia