Dr. Stephen W. Kulbaba

3mm stones are quite small and can travel down the ureters to the bladder and out through the urethra without causing obstruction and may do so with little to no pain. It's quite possible that in the time between the first and second studies the stone was passed.

Cancer is a very broad term as there are many types of growth. Some are benign types of tumors, meaning they are not problematic and are often left alone. An example would be a lipoma, which is basically a fatty nodule, very common, not a big deal. More aggressive tumors need to be properly identified in order to determine the best treatment options. CT and MRI for that matter are good for identifying masses and give valuable information about it - size, margins, presence of calcification, density. However, in most cases, a biopsy will need to be done in order to most accurately identify the type of tumor and best treatment option in order to achieve the best outcome.

To answer the question, you have to look at two factors:

First consideration is how far along you are in your pregnancy when the exposure occurred. If you are early in your pregnancy, there is a higher risk for loss of the pregnancy or genetic damage. The risks are quite low and are also dependent on the next factor.

The second consideration is how much X-ray exposure you may have potentially received. The answer here depends on where you were standing at the moment your mom was being X-rayed. Often, when there is a family member or friend in the room for support, the X-ray tech will have them stand beside them and behind a lead shielded wall/window. If this was what happened in your case, you would have received NO radiation exposure and are completely fine in regards to any risk from the X-ray. It would be unusual for you to be allowed to stand in front of this protected area. If you were, the X-ray tech most likely would have or should have given you a lead apron to cover your torso. If you were in the back of the room but outside the shielded area with no protection, you may have been exposed to a minimal amount of scatter
radiation. Outside of having the X-ray performed on yourself, your greatest risk for exposure would have been if you were standing right next to your mother without a lead apron to shield you. This would be highly unusual practice, but even if this was the case, since you were not in direct line of the X-ray beam you would only have been slightly exposed to some scatter radiation and probably not much more than the amount of background radiation your body is exposed to during the course of a typical day.

Your greatest exposure risk would obviously have been if you were having the X-ray done on yourself. This still occurs at times as not everyone knows the moment they get pregnant or may not even realize they are pregnant even as much as 2-3 months in. Direct X-ray exposures in these cases, especially if they have repeated X-rays, are the higher risk cases but the risks still remain quite low overall.

Based on your scenario, I would expect you received a minimal dosage, if any, and your risks are extremely low. If you have further concerns that is something you can better discuss with your gynecologist/doctor about whether you would require additional ultrasound or whether prenatal genetic testing may be helpful.

There could be a several causes of blood in the cough and nose. You should seen care as soon as possible. A thorough examination will help determine what may be causing your bleeding and determine if you need a chest X-ray or other imaging.

How could a calculus disappear in a week? Is it possible the first CT scan was misread? This would be unusual as stones, especially ones with calcification, are quite easy to identify and hard to mistake, and a transcription error would be unlikely. Could it have passed? A 2cm stone is quite large and calculi that large often produce obstruction of the urine flow from the kidneys or through the ureters and as it attempts to pass it would likely cause a significant amount of pain. And there is no information on any attempts at treatment in the interval between the two studies. Did the patient have lithotripsy or other intervention? Did the patient take any medications or supplements that may have affected the stone? There are some herbal supplements that have helped break down and prevent the formation of stones, chanca piedra for instance. Unfortunately, with only the details you've provided and without more information and having the two CT scans for comparison, any answer can only be speculative.

Pneumonitis is a general term used to refer to inflammation in the lungs. Pneumonia, an infectious cause of inflammation in the lungs, can technically be considered a cause of pneumonitis, can have a similar clinical presentation, and can appear similarly on an X-ray. However, most often, the term pneumonitis is used to indicate a non-infectious cause of the changes in the lungs, in other words inflammation that is reactive. This would include things in the environment such as mold, animal dander, and dust, inhaling "spit up," and also allergic reactions and drug interactions. In many cases, the X-ray changes alone may not differentiate between pneumonia and pneumonitis. A thorough history and physical examination by the attending physician and blood tests play an important role in determining the presumptive diagnosis. If it is determined that the cause is reactive or allergic, then allergy tests may be useful in identifying the underlying cause. In a few circumstances, if the cause cannot be determined and the symptoms persistent, then a lung biopsy may be warranted.

Although the risks are low, there is some risk posed by radiation to a fetus, or to any tissue for that matter. However, since the region in question is your hand, your baby can be protected from the radiation by a lead apron. X-ray technicians are well trained to help protect you and your baby from unwanted radiation exposure.

Where you live and the type of insurance coverages may factor into any decision as to when you can start having mammograms, however generally speaking with a familial history of breast cancer studies may begin between 30-35 years of age. If you have any genetic testing that indicates you have a gene which increases your risk that may further lower the age at which a mammogram may be ordered. MRI of the breast may also be an alternative to mammograms. As always, learning to do a breast self exam properly and performing it routinely is important and something you can begin doing at any time and can help catch lesions at their earliest stage.

Rupture of implants during mammography has been reported, however the risks are low. In addition, some women with breast implants report increased pain during mammography due to the compression. You should inform the center and the mammographer performing the study that you have breast implants as they may have protocols in place to alter the study to minimize the risk of rupture and pain. Alternatively, they may consider performing a breast MRI.

It's difficult to answer with any certainty. In addition to the parotid gland, lymph nodes are also present in the parotid space. Typically with a CT scan it should be evident if it's gland or node, however if there happens to be inflammation or a particularly large mass it's possible to mistake one for the other. I'm also uncertain on what basis the radiologist who performed the FNA suggested it may be a lymph node, whether he was or had viewed images at the time or was speculating based on location and palpation when he said it. I hesitate to comment because it's difficult to guess without seeing the images.

As for whether CT would give you any indication of whether it's malignant, CT in and of itself may not give you that information unless you had a PET CT, which is a type of CT done with radioactive "dye". Although histopatholgoy results from FNA can at times be equivocal, it probably represents the best test so far to identify what the mass may be and could clear up any question of whether it was parotid or lymph node in origin.