Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center Radiology
Using high-tech imaging techniques, x-ray technicians can painlessly and often non-invasively create pictures of the inner workings of the body to detect or rule out possible problems. X-rays are specialized images of bones and other body organs. In addition to routine x-rays, technicians also perform a number of specialty tests.
CT Scan
A CT scan is a diagnostic test which sees inside the body by combining the use of x-rays with computer technology, creating cross-sectional images of the patient’s body. A CT scan does a series of scans, each one an ultra-thin x-ray beam passing through the body from thousands of angles in a complete circle. All data is processed by a computer, creating composite, two dimensional representations of the scanned area. The images are made into a picture that can show bone, organs and tissue in great detail.
Ultrasound
Ultrasounds are most often used in prenatal care, when a physician wants information to assess fetal size and health, or to pinpoint a problem and address it sooner for a better outcome. Ultrasounds may also be used to assess areas of the stomach.
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnets and radio waves to produce a picture of the inside of the body. The MRI scanner creates a strong magnetic field, which causes the atoms within body tissues to align. A radio wave is directed at the body, triggering the atoms within body cavity tissues to emit radio waves of their own. This returned radio wave creates a signal (resonance) that is detected by the scanner at thousands of angles around the body. It allows doctors to three-dimensional images and two-dimensional “slices” of any part of the body. It gives a physician the ability to see soft tissues (ligaments, tendons and cartilage) in far more detail than CT scans or x-rays.
Mammography
A mammogram is a safe, low dose breast x-ray that shows the internal structure of a breast. It can pinpoint cancerous and non-cancerous growths at their earliest stages. Our radiologic technologists have received special training in performing mammograms and are certified in mammography through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
Nuclear medicine
A nuclear medicine scan can help diagnose diseases of the thyroid, bone, lung, liver, gallbladder or heart. A very small, safe amount of a radioactive substance is swallowed or injected. It travels through the body to the target organ, where it emits gamma rays that are recorded by a camera that captures an image.
