For a doctor to properly diagnose a condition, he needs to know what’s going on below the surface. Not so long ago, this would have a tall order to fill, however, today’s technology provides physicians the tools they need to view organs, soft tissue, blood vessels, arteries and even a patient’s nervous system with a practical push of a button. Imaging center’s provide these services to help doctors see what’s below the surface to help diagnose illnesses, conditions, and injuries. As a matter of fact, imaging centers have become part of the your physician’s trusted medical network. Here are some of the more popular studies your physician might recommend you undergo at an imaging center near you:
Nuclear Medicine Test
During a nuclear medicine test, the patient is injected with radiotracers that travel through the bloodstream to the imaging area; this type of information gathered from nuclear imaging can’t be collected via other imaging procedures. Gamma rays, detected by camera and picked up by computer, create images of the area in question. In some cases, rather than injecting the patient with radiotracers, the patient will swallow or inhale the radioactive material.
Patients needn’t fear being injected or ingesting this material. The amount of radiation that is received during the procedure is comparable to what they’d be exposed during a routine X-ray. Additionally, the tracer remains in the body for a limited amount of time and is totally eliminated through waste.
Digital Mammography
Digital mammography is used for breast cancer screening, digitally creating precise, high-resolution, computerized images. Digital mammography provides a low dose X-ray of the breast to detect abnormalities that would otherwise go unnoticed during a breast self-exam if the lump or mass is too small to palpate or is so deeply covered that a physician may not feel it during a routine breast examination. Independent Imaging couples digital mammography with computer-aided detection (CAD).
Digital X-ray
Digital X-ray images are created digitally, rather than photographically. This reduces the amount of time for processing and also the amount of radiation to which the patient is exposed. A digital X-ray exposes the patient to 10% less radiation than that of traditional film-based radiography; that’s because les radiation is required for producing digital images since the digital sensors are much more responsive than film. Digitally transferred images can also be enhanced for clarity.
Ultrasound
High-frequency sound waves are used to produce ultrasound images. An ultrasound is totally non-invasive and can produce images from inside the body – that means organs, tissue and its most common use, images of babies in the womb.
A technician uses a transducer to send sound waves into the body which are then reflected off of what’s inside. The transducer picks the waves back up as they reflect, and then changes the sounds/echoes into images that are projected onto a connected computer screen where the technician records notations. Notations might include size and reference points of abnormalities or to specific information about a baby in the womb, including its sex.
Bone Density Scan
A bone density scan measures a patient’s bone mass. A doctor will order a bone density scan to diagnose osteoporosis. The non-invasive procedure is most often ordered for men and women aged 50 and over. The painless procedure doesn’t take very long and with other similar scans, the amount of radiation to which a patient is exposed is minimal.
Physicians who refer patients to Independent Imaging Services are provided exceptional images, enabling them to deliver accurate and complete diagnoses of their patient’s conditions.
Independent Imaging’s three imaging centers feature state-of-the-art imaging equipment and are fully accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). With four locations in Palm Beach County, Florida – Wellington, Belle Glade, Lake Worth, and Royal Palm Beach – Independent Imaging is committed to providing results quickly and accurately, while easing each patient’s tensions through compassionate care.
Call us at (561) 795-5558 for same-day appointments, or inquire about transportation arrangements. For non-urgent needs, use our online appointment request form. Tell us which location you prefer, and someone from our office will call you to confirm your request.
