Diagnostic tests

With a CT scan, an X-ray beam moves in a circle around the body. This allows for many different views of the same organ or structure. The X-ray information is sent to a computer, which interprets the data and displays it in two-dimensional form on a monitor.

Fluoroscopy is a study of moving body structures — similar to an X-ray “movie.” A continuous X-ray beam is passed through an area of the body and transmitted to a TV-like monitor. This allows the body structure and its motion to be seen in detail.

MRI is a diagnostic procedure that uses a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and body structures. Unlike X-rays and CT scans, MRI does not use radiation.

Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses a very small amount of radioactive substance to examine organ function and structure. This substance, called a tracer, emits radiation that is detected by a special camera.

This scan combines a nuclear medicine PET scan with an MRI scan. The PET/MRI scan shows metabolic changes in the area being scanned. A tracer which is attached to a glucose is injected at the start of the PET scan. Your body uses glucose as its major source of energy, so the tracer collects more in areas of higher metabolic activity and less in areas of lower metabolic activity. The MRI scan shows the structure of the area being scanned. The two scans work together to help find exactly where any abnormal areas are.

An ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves and a computer to create images of soft body structures, such as tissues, organs, and blood vessels.

X-ray is the process of creating images of the body using radiation to look at images of internal tissues, organs, and bones. Doctors use a special type of x-ray, the EOS low-dose radiation scanner, to help treat children with scoliosis (a curved spine). Now, families travel across the country for this cutting-edge care.