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By clicking on the links below, you can find the answers to many of the questions patients ask Crown Valley Imaging daily. However, if you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Crown Valley Imaging directly by calling (949) 367-1010.
What is CT?
Computed tomography (CT) combines x-rays with the latest computer technology to create cross-sectional images of your body in seconds. Often, physicians call these images "slices." Patients lay flat and very still on a table as it inches its way through a doughnut-shaped "gantry." During your progress through the tube, thin x-ray beams spiral around your body, capturing slices that a computer reconstructs into a complete image. As some of these slices are as thin as 0.5 mm, CT scanning offers more detail than traditional x-ray examinations. As a result, CT is an ideal way to accurately view the size, shape, and position of soft-tissue structures such as the lungs, liver, kidneys, and other internal organs.
What is MRI?
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces a high-resolution image of a part of the body's internal structure. An MRI scanner contains a large magnet that causes hydrogen in the body to return distinctive signals when the MRI scanner emits a series of radio waves. The signal data is translated into two- or three-dimensional images of the scanned section of the body. Magnetic resonance imaging produces no radiation and is known for its sensitive soft-tissue discrimination.
What is MRA?
Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) uses MRI technology combined with sophisticated software and data-acquisition techniques to produce highly detailed images of the blood in motion without the use of catheters or chemical dyes. Magnetic resonance angiography can depict the blood moving through arteries and vessels, thereby allowing a physician to determine whether there are any vessel obstructions or enlargements. Often, physicians order MRA examinations in combination with MRI examinations.
Who should get screened?
The American Cancer Society estimates that survival rates for certain cancers would increase to 95 percent if all Americans participated in regular screenings.
According to the American Cancer Society, people between the ages of twenty and forty should undergo a physical examination, including some type of cancer and cholesterol screening, every three years. People over the age of forty should undergo a physical examination every year.
However, certain factors necessitate more frequent and in-depth screenings. These factors include people
· with a family history of cancer;
· who currently use or formerly used tobacco products;
· who may have been exposed to environmental risks, such as chemical or radiation exposure; and
· who have suboptimal exercise levels and nutrition.
Who should not undergo an MRI examination?
Individuals with pacemakers, intracranial aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, and certain other devices that contain iron implanted in their bodies cannot undergo MRI examinations.
How often should I get screened?
The answer to this question varies among individuals. Individuals over age forty who have certain risk factors may choose to undergo annual screenings. Those who have an extremely high risk for certain cancers may want to undergo CT screenings even more frequently.
What does coronary artery calcium scoring look for?
In coronary artery calcium scoring, CT scans the heart for calcium deposits along the walls of your arteries. These deposits can be one of the earliest signs of coronary heart disease. The results of the CT exam are scored to identify your level of calcium deposits.
Taking into account other risk factors for heart disease, such as your family history and cholesterol level, your doctor will then use the score from this coronary-artery examination to measure your potential for heart disease. This assessment will help you to take preventative measures to reduce your risk of heart disease.
What does lung screening look for?
Lung screening looks for nodules that may indicate lung cancer at its earliest stages, when it is the most treatable. Computed tomography is seven times more sensitive than conventional x-ray examinations in detecting the early stages of lung cancer.
How does virtual colonoscopy work?
Computed tomography combines x-rays with the latest computer technology to create cross-sectional images of the colon. Often, physicians call these images "slices." A computer then reconstructs these slices into a complete, three-dimensional model of your colon. Physicians can inspect the inside of this model without causing any pain. Also, unlike conventional colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy does not require sedation.
What is a CT examination like?
Computed tomography screening takes only minutes.
Although you must remove jewelry and any accessories that include metals, such as belts and watches, rarely are special gowns or changes of clothing required.
The CT scanner is located in a room similar to those you may have seen used in X-ray examinations. In the center of the room you will see a large, doughnut-shaped machine. The CT technician will ask you to lie down on a table emerging from the center of the machine.
As a clear scan requires that you remain as still as possible, the technician will ask you to remain very still. Also, he or she may ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds.
During the examination, the table on which you are resting will move slowly through the center of the tube. In the few seconds it takes for the scanner to rotate in the circular tube, you may notice a humming sound.
Computed tomography is painless, comfortable, and nonclaustrophobic.
Do I need a referral from my doctor to have a screening examination?
No referral is needed for a screening examination. Simply call Crown Valley Imaging directly to schedule an examination or to discuss which examination may be appropriate for you. Crown Valley Imaging can be reached by dialing (949) 367-1010.
When will I receive the results of my examination?
Patients who undergo CT screening at Crown Valley Imaging can consult with a physician immediately following their exams. The physician will review the results of each test in easily understandable terms and will answer any questions the patients may have about the exams and their results.
What should I wear for my examination?
Computed tomography examinations require no special gown or clothing. However, please take care not to wear clothing with metal clasps or accents. Women should ensure that they avoid wearing bras with metal underwires or clasps during their examinations. Lycra sports bras are appropriate. Crown Valley Imaging offers gowns to those who prefer to wear them during the examination.
Will the screening examination find everything that could be wrong?
Unfortunately, no single diagnostic exam available today can eliminate all possible causes of medical concern. Certain cancers require special tests for detection in their earliest stages. For example, prostate cancer requires a special blood test to measure the level of a chemical substance produced only in the prostate.
What are the risks of CT examinations?
Computed tomography is a safe, effective diagnostic procedure that is quick, pain-free, and comfortable. However, like x-ray and mammography, CT exams do expose patients to radiation.
How much radiation is involved in a CT examination?
Crown Valley Imaging's physicians closely follow industry and federal recommendations in order to provide the minimum amount of radiation dose for each CT examination.
Crown Valley Imaging uses state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and screening equipment, which it checks regularly to ensure that it surpassed federal regulatory standards.
Rigorous safety controls ensure that Crown Valley Imaging's patients receive less radiation than transcontinental airline flights provide.
However, women who are pregnant or nursing should not undergo any x-ray procedures, including CT examinations. Please discuss any allergies, medications, and existing conditions with your doctor before any type of diagnostic exam.
How long does a CT examination take?
The entire CT exam, measuring from the time you enter the CT screening room to the time you leave the room for consultation with a physician, takes about ten minutes only. Post-examination consultation with one of Crown Valley's physicians may take half an hour.
Please plan to check in at the clinic at least fifteen minutes before your exam.
What do I need to do to prepare for a CT examination?
Some CT examinations require no preparation at all.
In cases where preparation is required, Crown Valley Imaging may ask you to refrain from eating and drinking for four to six hours before your examination.
Also, Crown Valley Imaging may ask you to drink a carbonated liquid in order to slightly "inflate" your internal organs.
If you are scheduled for a virtual colonoscopy exam, Crown Valley Imaging will mail you specific preparation instructions that you will need to follow prior to your exam.
The purpose of all CT preparation is to ensure that the image resulting from your exam is as clear as possible.
How long does an MRI examination take?
Depending on the type of examination scheduled, an MRI exam can take anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes.
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