Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - North Mississippi - (Page 20)

You’re the Star of the Show No glossary can cover all the situations in which you might need an imaging test. So in addition to knowing the basic terms, it’s important to be willing to ask questions. If your doctor is the director, you’re the star of the show. “We want to make sure your questions are answered and your fears are alleviated,” says Eddie L. Giaroli, M.D., North Mississippi Medical Center radiologist. You might ask: • Do I need this test? (Be sure to mention if you’ve had a similar test recently with another doctor or facility.) • What will this test tell us? • What are the risks and benefits? “The mantra of radiology is ‘the right test at the right time for the right reason with the right outcome,’ ” Giaroli says. An imaging test is intended to answer questions about your medical status that will affect your treatment and quality of life. Open communication with your doctor promotes effective diagnosis and treatment. So don’t shy away from the spotlight: Speak up about any questions you have. tissue. Takes longer than CT scanning (30 to 90 minutes compared with 30 to 90 seconds), but “the greater scan time can also provide a greater amount of information,” Hovsepian says. Open MRI: A special MRI unit that is open on the sides to accommodate larger or claustrophobic patients. UltrasoUnd A relatively inexpensive imaging technique that uses no radiation. Instead, it uses “high-frequency sound waves over a million cycles per second—a lot higher frequency than we can hear,” Benseler says. “You’re making a picture from the echoes of the sound that bounce back.” Best at imaging fluid collections and internal structures close to the surface of the body. nUclear medicine Produces images of physiologic processes (the body in action) using small amounts of radioactive material that stay in the body for a short time. To generate images, “instead of having X-rays or anything else going into the body, the radiation in the form of gamma rays comes out of the body from wherever it accumulates,” Benseler says. PET (positron emission tomography) scan: One way of recording the energy given off by radiopharmaceuticals. Often combined with CT scanning for a clear look at both structure and function of organs, tissue and other aspects of the body for more accurate diagnoses. ct scan (compUted tomography) A more sophisticated version of X-ray that produces detailed cross-sectional images—like slices in a loaf of bread—that combine to show a 3-D view. Faster than MRI, and produces higherdefinition images. Uses a powerful magnet and radio-frequency pulses (instead of radiation) to send detailed images to a computer. Excellent at imaging soft online mri (magnetic resonance imaging) Knowledge is power. Take control of your healthcare by understanding different aspects of it. To learn more about radiology services and the different things that can be tested for at North Mississippi Medical Center, visit www.nmhs.net/ radiology.php. Understand Radiology Tests photography by thinkstock 20 Vim & Vigor • Sum m er 2 012 http://www.nmhs.net/radiology.php http://www.nmhs.net/radiology.php

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Big Gifts Come in Small Packages
A Voice of Experience
The Breakfast Club
Arthritis Answers
A TV Guide to Radiology
Take Aim
It Might NOT Be Cancer
Colin Firth
Step Up to the Plate
Life After Cancer
Get Dad to the Doc
Virtual Health
Point, Click, Discover
Ready to Serve
A Unique Kind of Doctor
Barbershop Talk
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - North Mississippi