Brian Richard Decosta, M.D.

Yes. The film size is smaller. The radiation dose is smaller. Kids are often covered with a lead apron over the genitals or other radiation sensitive areas. Ultrasound is used instead of ionizing radiation at facilities that are more experienced in using ultrasound, for example, in the diagnosis of appendicitis.
Hope this helps. Hopefully, your son won't need an X-ray anytime soon!

BRIAN DECOSTA

Haziness in an abdominal X-ray usually indicates breathing motion artifact.

Brian

You can usually tell if there are physical abnormalities during a second trimester ultrasound done for anatomy. Organogenesis starts at 6 weeks and ends around 10 weeks. Ultrasound from 3 months to 6 months after conception (2nd trim) is best for looking at the anatomy.

BRIAN DECOSTA

The CT characteristics of the lesion itself, its location, its association with other lesions and its enhancement pattern can suggest the lesion to be cancerous. However, for definitive diagnosis, biopsy is the gold standard and can be performed under image guidance depending on its location.

BRIAN DECOSTA

If it is just a plain film X-ray, such as a chest X-ray or abdominal X-ray, the dose with you standing in the room is very low. If you were the patient being X-rayed, the dose would be higher. Bear in mind that the dose of X-rays for a chest X-ray is the same dose you would receive taking a flight from Boston to California. Also, it depends on the stage of pregnancy as the most radiosensitive period for a fetus is 6-10 weeks. It is very unlikely you recieved a significant dose.

BRIAN DECOSTA

It is required for all breast cancers, even in the scenario of negative margins of the resected specimen. With radical mastectomy, it may or may not be necessary. Hope this helps.

Open MRIs are lower field magnets resulting in lower spatial resolution. They are inferior to closed MRI systems in this regard. However, they are great for dealing with claustrophobic patients and in situations where dynamic or kinematic imaging or upright imaging is required.

Hope this helps.

Brian

Should be no problem. Hand X-ray is very low dose. Also, the technologist should shield your pelvis/lower abdomen with a lead apron with almost zero radiation to the fetus.

It sounds like there was an error in dictation as many radiology groups use voice transcription software. The software may have added or omitted words. One way to deal with this is to request a reread especially as it seems at least one of the 2 reports is wrong. Such a large calculus cannot dissolve in a week. Also such a large stone cannot be passed.

The best way is a bone marrow biopsy. Bone scans can be unreliable for leukemia or myeloma.

The breast implants will be fine. Less breast compression is used in patient with implants. Additional imaging is done with implants and the technologist performs implant displaced views. Without implants a standard mammogram has 4 images (2 of each breast). With implants, the standard mammogram has 8 views (4 with the implants in view and 4 with displacement of the implants out of the view).

Ct contrast is iodinated contrast whereas MRI contrast contains gadolinium which is in a chelated form of gadolinium. The contrast material used in CT scanning is radiodense and attenuated X rays and therefore can act as a CT contrast agent since CT scanning uses XRays. CT contrast agents are taken up more avidly by diseased (e.g. neoplastic) or inflamed tissues which would render the diseased tissues visible on a CT scan.

MRI contrast agents by comparison change the spin properties of protons in diseased tissues verses normal tissues allowing them to show different intensities in the MRI scanner depending on whether the tissue is diseased or not. In addition, the MRI contrast agent is more tissue specific then CT contrast agent.

In terms of toxicity, CT contrast agents are more nephrotoxic in patients with preexisting renal disease then MRI contrast agents. Of course, both CT and MRI contrast agents would be contraindicated if the patient has a serious allergy to these agents.

Both of these agents are administered via IV injection a short interval
Prior to scanning. are administer by intravenous injection adolinium contrast that is used in MRI scanners. Not all CT or MRI scans require the administration of IV contrast agents depending on the type of study being performed.

Non ionizing modalities such as US, and MRI are safe. MRI cannot be used with MRI incompatible pacemakers. The principle of ALARA has to be considered with CT and Plain film X-rays. Although there are no immediate effects. Long term effects of continued chronic medical X rays are unknown and data is exprepolated from the Hiroshima victims. A plain film Xray of three cheat is equal to an East to West coast US flight in terms of dose. A CT of the chest is 100 plain film X-ray doses depending on the equipment used. Newer equipment has dose monitoring software. Children are much more radiosensitive then adults and therefore X rays have to be used judiciously in children and pregnant women.