Recovery After a Stereotactic Biopsy: Headache, Pin-Site Soreness, Driving and Results
Stereotactic biopsy recovery is usually short. After a breast biopsy, most people go home the same day and have bruising or soreness for a…
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Blog Category
Scans & Imaging
Articles on medical imaging: MRI, CT, ultrasound, PET-CT and X-ray, covering preparation, contrast agents, radiation and how to read the wording of a report. The report is interpreted together with your symptoms by your doctor.
After a PET-CT Scan: Clearing the Tracer, Contact Precautions and When Results Arrive
After a PET-CT scan, most people go home the same day, drink extra fluids and empty their bladder often to help clear the radioactive…
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Preparing for an MRI: Eating, Metal, What to Wear
For most MRI scans you can eat and drink normally beforehand, because the magnet images tissue, not stomach contents. The exceptions are scans of…
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What Does a Comprehensive Check-Up Include? Blood Work, Imaging and the Follow-Up Plan
A comprehensive check-up usually includes a medical and family history, a physical examination with blood pressure and body measurements, and blood and urine tests…
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What a CT Scan Shows, and Why Doctors Order One
A CT scan shows detailed cross-sectional images of bones, organs, blood vessels and soft tissue by combining many X-ray views into slices. Doctors most…
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Can an Ultrasound Detect Cancer? What It Can Show, Its Limits and the Next Steps
An ultrasound can detect abnormal lumps, masses and changes in organs that may be cancer, and it is especially good at telling a fluid-filled…
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What a PET-CT Scan Shows That a CT Alone Cannot: Metabolic Activity in Cancer Staging
A PET-CT scan shows how actively tissues are using energy, mapped onto a detailed anatomical picture. The PET part tracks a mildly radioactive sugar…
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When Does a Brain Lesion Need a Stereotactic Biopsy Instead of Open Surgery?
A brain lesion is usually sampled with a stereotactic needle biopsy when the tissue diagnosis will change treatment but removing the lesion is not…
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Stereotactic Brain Biopsy Step by Step: Planning Scans, Coordinates and the Needle Path
A stereotactic brain biopsy uses a detailed MRI or CT scan, a three-dimensional coordinate system and a thin needle to remove a tiny sample…
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What Happens During an EMG Test? Nerve Conduction Study, Needle Electrodes and Timing
During an EMG test, a clinician first performs a nerve conduction study, placing sticky surface electrodes on the skin and delivering brief electrical pulses…
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How an Echocardiogram Is Done, How Long It Takes, and Echo vs ECG
A standard echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart. You undress from the waist up, wear a gown, lie on your left side,…
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EMG Test Preparation: Lotions, Pacemakers, Blood Thinners and What to Wear on the Day
To prepare for an EMG test, arrive with clean, lotion-free skin, wear loose clothing that lets the examiner reach the arms and legs, and…
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How to Prepare for a PET-CT Scan: Fasting, Blood Sugar Checks and What to Wear
To prepare for a PET-CT scan, most people are asked to stop eating for about six hours beforehand, drink only plain water, avoid sugar,…
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Can an MRI Detect Cancer? What It Shows, When It Is Used and What Comes After
An MRI can show many cancers, often in fine detail, because tumors tend to have different water content and blood supply than the tissue…
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MRI vs CT Scan: How Doctors Choose Between Them
Doctors generally choose a CT scan when speed matters, suspected bleeding, fractures, lung problems, or trauma, because it takes minutes and is available around…
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The Coronary Calcium Score: The 10-Minute Scan That Grades Artery Health
A calcium score test, also called a coronary artery calcium scan, is a brief low-dose CT that measures hardened plaque in the heart's arteries…
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The TEE (Transesophageal Echo): Why Some Hearts Are Imaged From Inside
A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is an ultrasound of the heart performed from inside the esophagus, which lies roughly a centimeter behind the heart's left…
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Angiogram: How Long It Takes and How Serious It Is
A standard coronary angiogram usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, though the whole hospital visit is often half a day because of preparation and…
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