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Cutting Edge Imaging Services

From the most basic X-ray procedures to the most advanced 64-slice CT technology in the world, our comprehensive imaging services offer cutting edge technology in a setting that promotes comfort and quicker services.

With our state-of-the-art Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), we digitally store your images and can even transmit image results electronically to your physician as soon as the procedure is interpreted.

To learn more about our advanced imaging services, click on one of the links below.

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Cardiac Ultrasound
• Vascular Ultrasound
• CT (Computed Tomography)
• General Ultrasound
• General Diagnostic Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Women's Imaging

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) produces images of internal body structures using a large magnetic field and a computer system to create images. Our high-field strength magnet, the most advanced available today, provides superior images in the shortest possible scan time. In addition, our scanner is less confining and claustrophobic than many other MRI systems.

Before going into the MRI room, you will be asked to discuss your medical history and be told about the procedure. We will also make sure that you remove all metallic objects (i.e. jewelry, glasses, zippers, dentures) before you are scanned. Be sure that you tell the MRI technologist if you have any metal inside your body (i.e. shrapnel, implants, pacemakers).

Before the scan, the technologist will help you on the scanning table. The table will then slide into the interior of the magnet that is located in a SHORT tunnel that is open at both ends. You will be asked to be very still, but will be able to communicate with the MRI technologist throughout the entire procedure.

CT (Computed Tomography)

Our CT System uses advanced spiral scan technology to rapidly image thin sections of the body. Because scans can be completed in just a few minutes, the radiation exposure is much less than with conventional CT systems.

The most advanced CT scan technology in the world is available on the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Campus. The LightSpeed VCT (Volume Computed Tomography) scanner offers incredible speed and image quality and delivers up to 73 percent more coverage per second of a region of the body over previous CT technology.

VCT scanning is the latest innovation in computed tomography technology, a diagnostic tool that allows the visualization of structures within the human body. VCT captures images of the heart in just five heartbeats, and other organs in only a second, turning them into 3-D views that physicians can use to diagnose and decide the best course of treatment.

This scanner can be used for a variety of procedures, including cancer care, stroke workup, and kidney and liver exams, but the LightSpeed VCT is most beneficial for cardiac imaging. This new technology can decipher between aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and coronary artery disease, the three major causes of mortality in patients with chest pain.

In addition to the new diagnostic power in cardiac cases, the LightSpeed VCT offers the speed and resolution needed for immediate imaging of blood vessels after a stroke.

• CAT Scan of the Body-CT Scan of the Body
• CAT Scan of the Head-CT Scan of the Head

General Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a medical procedure that uses sound waves to visualize internal structures. Sound waves pass through the skin and bounce off organs and tissues in the body. Thee sound waves are then reflected back and converted to diagnostic images.

Ultrasound is a simple procedure that does not require the use of radiation or special medications or dyes. During Ultrasound a small device called a transducer is placed over the area being examined. Sound waves pass through the skin from the transducer and bounces off organs and tissues in the body. These sound waves are reflected back to the transducer. The sound waves will then be converted to an image that will appear on a monitor that will be evaluated by the radiologist.

Some Ultrasound procedures require special preparation (i.e. fasting for several hours before the procedure; emptying or filling your bladder), so pay special attention to any instructions given to you at the time your procedure is scheduled.

• Abdominal Ultrasound
• Breast Ultrasound
• Doppler Ultrasound
• Duplex Doppler Ultrasound
• Fetal Ultrasound
• Parathyroid and Thyroid Ultrasound-Thyroid and Parathyroid Ultrasound
• Pelvic Ultrasound
• Vascular Doppler

General Diagnostic Radiology

Basic X-rays (chest, extremities) are performed on a walk-in basis. Appointments for more complex procedures that require special preparation can be made by calling ScheduleFirst at 443-843-7000 or toll-free at 1-800-301-4799.

• Abdominal X-ray
• Arm or Leg X-ray-Extremity X-rays
• Arthrography
• Barium Enema
• Barium Swallow-Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Series
• Chest X-ray
• Cystourethrography
• Hysterosalpingography
• Intravenous Pyelography (IVP)
• Myelography
• Skull and Facial X-ray
• Spinal X-ray

Nuclear Medicine

Our Nuclear Medicine equipment is capable of performing standard nuclear medicine images such as lung, thyroid, and bone scans. During a Nuclear Medicine procedure small amounts of a radioactive material are administered by IV, capsules or inhalation. This radioactive material will then travel to the organ or tissue to be evaluated. The radioactive material will give off a form of radiation that can only be detected by our Nuclear Medicine equipment.

During the scan you will be made comfortable on the Nuclear Medicine table, and your body will be scanned by the Nuclear Medicine camera. The images created by this camera will be interpreted by a radiologist who specializes in Nuclear Medicine procedures.

Women's Imaging

Women's Imaging in the Ambulatory Care Center and at Harford Memorial Hospital offers a private, comfortable area exclusively for women. Our services include mammography, sonography (ultrasound) and bone densitometry as well as a state of the art breast biopsy system.

Click on one of the links below to learn more about our women's imaging services:

• Mammography
• Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
• Bone Densitometry
• Ultrasound

Mammography

Mammography (breast imaging) is an x-ray technique used to detect breast cancer and other breast conditions. Mammography shows changes in the breast before a woman or her health care provider can detect them.

The procedure usually takes less than an hour. There will be breast compression during the procedure that may be uncomfortable. This discomfort will only last a few minutes. Scheduling this procedure after your period (when breasts are less tender) can help.

Please do not wear deodorant or perfume on the day of your test; it can interfere with the quality of the image. For your convenience, deodorant will be provided in the dressing rooms.

Our radiologists will interpret the images and have results available within 24 hours.

Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Our state of the art technology gives women a less invasive option for the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Lumps or suspicious areas of the breast can be biopsied through a very small incision.

This technology uses mammography to locate the lump or area in question. A computer-guided needle is then inserted and takes a tissue simple. The tissue sample is then evaluated by the pathologist.

The procedure takes less than one hour and is performed under local anesthesia. Instead of stitches, you will go home with just a Band-Aid. For more information about your test, click on this link: http://www.breastinfo.com

Bone Densitometry

Bone densitometry determines the strength of your bones and the likelihood of fracture. The latest advance in bone densitometry is Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) for measurement of the spine and hip. This state-of-the-art imaging technique detects small changes in bone mass with minimal radiation exposure.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a medical procedure that uses sound waves to visualize internal structures. This simple procedure does not require the use of radiation or special medications or dyes.

During Ultrasound, a small device called a transducer is placed over the area being examined. Sound waves pass through the skin from the transducer and bounces off organs and tissues. These sound waves are reflected back to the transducer. The sound waves are then converted to an image that will appear on a monitor and saved for interpretation by the radiologist.

Some ultrasound procedures require special preparation (i.e. fasting for several hours before the procedure; emptying or filling your bladder), so pay special attention to any instructions given to you at the time your procedure is scheduled.

• Breast Ultrasound
• Fetal Ultrasound
• Pelvic Ultrasound

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