Diagnostic Tests

MRI

A MRI Scan is done on various body areas, for the purpose of helping to make a diagnosis. An MRI machine uses a large magnet, a computer, and radio waves to look inside the body and to evaluate various body parts. MRI is painless and requires minimal preparation.

During the MRI exam, you will be lying on a firm table. The technologist will position you and then move the table to the center of the MRI machine. The inside of the machine is like a giant tunnel that is well lit and open on each end.

The MRI makes a loud knocking noise while we take the image. You will be given earplugs or ear phones to listen to music during the exam.

You may need to be given a contrast agent before the exam to improve the quality of the images made by the machine. If so, a nurse will start an IV before or during the exam. The test usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

CT Scan

A CT (computerized tomography) Scan obtains multiple cross-sectional images of your body by using special X-rays and computer enhancement, creating an image many times more sensitive than the image from a simple X-ray. This is a painless test and takes 1 – 1 1/2 hours to complete.

PET Scan

A PET (positron emission tomography) scan is a test used to detect tumors in the tissues and organs of your body.

X-rays, CT scans and MRIs show the shape and structure of your body’s organs and tissues. A PET scan shows how they work. A PET scan can often find changes in your body’s tissues before changes can be seen in their structure or anatomy.

A PET scan uses small amounts of radioactivity, called a radionuclide, to take detailed pictures of different areas inside your body.

A small dose of this radionuclide is combined with a sugar and injected into a vein in your hand or arm. The radionuclide gives off positively charged energy particles, or positrons. The PET scanner rotates around the body to detect these positrons at many different angles.

Lumbar Puncture/ Spinal Tap

A lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, is a procedure doctors use to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) for testing.

During a lumbar puncture, you will be asked to lie on your side or sit upright. Your back will be scrubbed with an antiseptic solution and a local anesthetic will be injected into your skin. After the anesthetic has taken affect, a small needle is inserted into your back to obtain the cerebrospinal fluid.

A lumbar puncture is also used to administer some chemotherapy drugs. The medications are injected directly through the lumbar puncture and into the cerebrospinal fluid where they flow freely to the brain or spinal cord where needed.