Diagnostic Imaging Services
Advanced Diagnostic Tools for Faster Treatment
Modern medicine wouldn't be what it is today without high-tech diagnostic imaging. Physicians use imaging tests to diagnose disease and injury. In this rapidly evolving medical field, we've made a commitment to stay at the forefront by acquiring state-of-the-art imaging equipment that can take images of your body's structures with remarkable clarity and detail, making diagnosis even faster and more accurate.
Whether you're admitted to our Emergency Department or need an outpatient procedure, you may undergo one of the following imaging tests:
- X-ray
- CT (computed tomography) scan
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
- Nuclear scan
- Ultrasound
- Bone Density scan
The Versatility of CT Scanning
Perhaps no other type of scanner is as utilitarian as CT. These scanners use powerful, focused X-ray pulses to capture detailed cross-sections of the body, including soft tissues, bone, and blood vessels. CTs are useful for detecting cancers -such as brain tumors or cancer in the lungs or abdomen -kidney stones, bleeding, infections, and fractures. In SGVMC's emergency room, our CT scanner is invaluable for fast scans of traumatic internal injuries, as well as rapid diagnosis of strokes.
SGVMC has one of the most advanced CT scanners in the area – the Toshiba Aquilion™ 128 CT Scanner. The Aquilion delivers uncompromising image quality - showing even the smallest vessels and tissue, like those in the heart and lungs - for quick and precise disease detection. And, the Aquilion requires a much smaller radiation dose than other CTs, which is a significant factor in improving patient safety.
Diagnosing with MRI
Like CTs, MRls show cross-sections of the body, but they use a magnetic field and radio waves to create high resolution 3-D images. MRIs work best for showing soft tissues and organs that contain water, as opposed to bone. SGVMC radiologists use MRIs to examine countless areas of the body and detect conditions such as tumors, blood clots, poor blood flow, bleeding, infections, and joint problems. MRIs may also be used as an adjunct test to mammography for women at high risk of breast cancer. San Gabriel Valley Medical Center's newly installed 1.5 Teslar MRI provides physicians with extraordinarily detailed images to help them diagnosis disease and injury.
Nuclear Scanning with the GE (TM) Infinia Hawkeye ®
Nuclear medicine has been a fundamental component of diagnostic imaging for years. Nuclear medicine cameras have a special niche; they can show not only the structure of an area of the body, but also how it functions. During the test, a radioactive tracer is injected, which circulates through the body. The camera detects the location and concentration of this tracer. This highly specialized camera can help diagnose blood-flow irregularities, problems in the thyroid, damaged heart tissue, and tumors.
SGVMC was the first hospital in California to acquire the GE Infinia Hawkeye Nuclear Medicine Camera.
Concerned About Osteoporosis?
If you're a woman past menopause, take note: osteoporosis -a potentially crippling bone disease, afflicts 50 percent of postmenopausal Caucasian and Asian women.
The good news; Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable.
At SGVMC, you can check your risk for osteoporosis with bone density testing, an advanced technology called DXA (short for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) which safely, accurately, and painlessly measures bone mineral density.
During a comprehensive examination with DXA, you lay comfortably still on a padded table while the DXA unit scans two or more areas, usually the fracture-prone hip and spine. Unlike typical x-ray machines, radiation exposure during bone densitometry is extremely low -less than the radiation exposure during a coast-to-coast airline flight. The entire process takes only minutes to complete, depending on the number of sites scanned. It involves no injections or invasive procedures, and patients remain fully clothed. DXA is a fast, convenient and precise way to measure bone density, and uncover vertebral fracture to help determine a woman's risk of developing osteoporosis and future fractures.
To schedule a bone density scan, please call (626) 570-6520.