Steven M. Boker

MRI is the gold standard for detection of brain tumors. CT scanning igood, but not as good as MRI

Yes. Risks are basically the same, with probably decrease in some risks.

Ultrasound would be the initial scan, but usually after a physician examines you.

Most patients are anxious before a procedure. It's something new and often they hear other people's horror stories. In the hands of an experienced physician, there should be very little discomfort. The injection of local anesthesia is often the only somewhat uncomfortable part as it stings for a few seconds until the numbing takes effect. Personally, I even decrease that minor discomfort by buffering the local anesthetic solution with a small amount of sodium bicarbonate. Any discomfort you may feel also depends on what area of the body is being biopsied. Some places are more tender.

Basically, the procedure should include:

1) A full explanation of the procedure. After, you will be asked to sign a consent form allowing them to do the procedure. Don't be afraid to ask any questions you may have before signing.

2) Preparing the area with antiseptic to prevent infection. Then, sterile drapes around the area to give a sterile work area.

3) Local anesthesia injection to numb the area.

4) Biopsy performed.

5) Area cleaned and either a Bandaid or Sterile-Strips applied.

6) Post-procedure instructions. This includes any possible restrictions activities, what to take if you have any pain, sign of any infection to watch out for, etc.

Bottom, line: every effort should be made to make the experience as painless and as easy for you as possible. I've had many patients tell me they felt nothing. Again, this depends on the area. I mostly do breast and lymph node biopsies these days. Biopsies of organs or tumors in the deeper areas like the chest, abdomen, or pelvis are similar, but a little more involved and could be slightly more uncomfortable, but should not be terrible.

Good luck!

First, since she is out of the most sensitive period of the first trimester of her pregnancy, the chance of any negative effect is extremely small. Second, since I assume you are talking about a CT of her brain, her abdomen and pelvis will not be within the scanners direct X-rays and any radiation to the abdomen or pelvis would be what's known as scatter, and would be a small amount. Bottom line, it is considered to be very safe.

Good question, but a difficult one to answer as CT machines have some variability and it depends on the type of scan involved as well.

Modern day CT scanners incorporate methods to reduce radiation exposure to the patient while still providing good quality images for the radiologist to interpret.

Regarding cancer, you first have to start with the fact that cancer is a common disease and it is estimated that about 42% of a given population will develop cancer in their lifetime, a shocking figure I believe.

For women, the lifetime cancer risk without any radiation exposure is about 37.5%. The exposure you received depends on the machine, the type of scan, and your body (heavier patients require more radiation to penetrate the body).

An average abdominal CT using dose reduction techniques results is an exposure of about 6 millisieverts, abbreviated 6 mSv.

A CT examination with an effective dose of 10 millisieverts (abbreviated mSv; 1 mSv = 1 mGy in the case of x-rays.) may be associated with an increase in the possibility of fatal cancer of approximately 1 chance in 2000. This increase in the possibility of a fatal cancer from radiation can be compared to the natural incidence of fatal cancer in the U.S. population, about 1 chance in 5 (equal to 400 chances in 2000). In other words, for any one person the risk of radiation-induced cancer is much smaller than the natural risk of cancer. If you combine the natural risk of a fatal cancer and the estimated risk from a 10 mSv CT scan, the total risk may increase from 400 chances in 2000 to 401 chances in 2000.

As with many things in medicine, you have to weigh the risks vs. benefits.

Bottom line, your increased risk of cancer from the two scans is likely negligible.

Hope this helps!

It would be difficult for me to answer your question completely without actually viewing his X-rays, but disease processes are dynamic and can often change appearance rapidly. Sometimes, something looks like pneumonia, but then can be seen to be something else after antibiotic therapy. I'm sorry I can't answer this fully for you, but I do suggest you discuss your concerns with his physician. If you tell the physician that you just don't understand, they should do their best to help you understand his condition and the changing appearance on the X-rays.

MRI can certainly help, or can help to exclude other causes of his symptoms. Spinal fluid analysis is generally necessary for confirmation. That being said, it would be very unusual for someone to get to his age without it diagnosed at an earlier age. It CAN occur at any age, but is far more commonly diagnosed in the 20-40-year-old age group.

Couldn't say without seeing the actual images and what density they actually were and exactly where they were located.

Without seeing the actual images, I can't say. That is a very vague description and one I would never personally use without clarifying it further. Sorry.
Guessing, I would say bronchitis or other viral disease.

No. X-ray will not determine kidney function. The creatinine of 5.5 already indicates kidney dysfunction. They could do a nuclear renogram, a nuclear medicine test after injecting a small amount of radioactive tracer into a vein, that can then give more info on the actual function of the kidneys.

The profession is very safe. First of all, the majority of the time we work, we are not exposed to radiation. In addition, we wear a device that keeps track of radiation exposure and we get monthly or quarterly reports that tell us how much and of what type of radiation we've been exposed to. We also get a yearly summary.
Every hospital has an RSO, or Radiation Safety Officer, whose job is to not only review the exposure reports, but to make sure an individual is not getting exposed to significant amounts of radiation. Also, the RSO works with a Radiation Physicist to make sure all the devices which can produce radiation are exposing patients and staff to the lowest levels possible.

CT scan is a computerized X-ray system that gives the radiologist a much more detailed look within the body. It requires a bit more radiation than a routine chest X-ray and is more expensive, but it gives a lot more useful information. That's the basic difference.

A CT (computerized tomography) uses X-rays to essentially display the body in slices. The patient lies on a table while the X-ray tube and X-ray detectors inside the machine rotate around the patient. The table moves the patient at the same time, so it essentially X-rays in a spiral around the patient. The computer then puts the data together and displays the body part or parts imaged in several different planes. It is much more sensitive for the detection of diseases or abnormalities than a plain X-ray. The trade off is it takes a bit longer and uses more radiation, but it is still very safe.

Depending on the particular scan ordered by the requesting doctor, the patient may get X-ray contrast injected in a vein in the arm or hand via an IV line. This highlights blood vessels and can aid in diagnosis. Some scans of the abdomen also require the patient to drink some contrast to highlight the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. It is an easy exam for the patient as they basically just need to lay still for several minutes.

An X-ray would be the first step to determine the cause of wheezing, say to look for pneumonia or some other cause. Wheezing doesn't "lead" to asthma, but wheezing can certainly be a symptom of asthma.

If an additional imaging exam is required, and it may very likely not be required, CT scanning would be the next step. A much more sensitive computerized X-ray to look at the lungs, etc., in more than one plane.

With regards to the term "pneumonitis," it refers to inflammation of lung tissue and generally is used to describe findings that are non-infectious, caused most often by an allergic response, as opposed to "pneumonia," which would be caused by an infection with some microorganism.





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The short answer is no. There are many factors involved including the number of X-rays and scans, but with today's modern equipment, X-ray exposure is kept to a minimum, particularly for pediatric patients. The amount he was likely exposed to should not have a significant effect.

While I am not an oncologist, I am a Diagnostic Radiologist, I can answer that both melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin can be associated with genetic/hereditary factors in addition to environmental factors (such as sun exposure).

The answer is complex, but essentially a CT scan uses X-rays to take pictures in slices of the human body. Think of a loaf of bread. Imagine there's a marble in the center of the bread. If you took an X-ray, you'd be able to see the marble, but it would be hard to tell exactly where in the loaf it was. If you sliced the bread and looked at each slice, you'd get a better idea of where the marble was in the loaf.

Also, since the CT uses a computer to reconstruct the images, the radiologist can manipulate the images in many ways, including taking density measurements of any abnormality (which can help figure out what it is), measure structures, change factors to be able to look at bones or soft tissue, and other manipulation.

Bottom line is that a CT scan can provide a much more detailed look inside the body than a regular X-ray and it is an amazing tool to help with diagnosis.

I hope this helped!

I can't answer that as I am a radiologist and not a Radiation Oncologist. They are concerned with radiation therapy, while radiologists are concerned with diagnosis.

Sorry