Dameron Hospital utilizes safe, comfortable diagnostic imaging settings to meet the highest standards of safety and excellence. With the remarkable ability to see under your skin and into your organs, diagnostic imaging services provide answers to medical questions without the need for exploratory surgery. Certified, highly-skilled radiologists perform imaging services and interpretation.
We offer a comprehensive array of advanced imaging services on an outpatient basis. Some services require an appointment before being seen; however, under certain circumstances, same-day appointment requests are also available.
Services
Appointment required.
Service hours and times: Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
A CT scan is an X-ray-based procedure in which multiple "slices" of data are acquired of the body using state-of-the-art multi-detector CT technology to ensure the lowest possible radiation dose. Typical uses of CT include the detection of tumors, infections, internal bleeding and trauma, and blood vessel blockages (CT angiogram). CT angiography is used to diagnose peripheral artery disease, the narrowing or hardening of arteries in the legs and arms. This exam requires the injection of a contrast agent which allows the radiologists to observe the blood as it moves through your limbs.
Appointment required.
Service hours and times: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Echocardiography, or echo, is a specialized test that usually takes about an hour to do, is painless, and uses ultrasound sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart. For some types of echo, your doctor will need to inject saline or a special dye into one of your veins for your heart to show up more clearly on the echo pictures. The pictures show the size and shape of your heart, as well as how well your heart's chambers and valves are working. No special preparations are needed for most types of echo; you usually can eat, drink, and take any medicines as you usually would.
Echo also can pinpoint areas of heart muscle that aren't contracting well because of reduced blood flow or injury from a previous heart attack. Echo can detect possible blood clots inside the heart, fluid buildup around the heart, and problems with the aorta, which is the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body.
Types of Echo tests performed at Dameron Hospital:
- Transthoracic Echo (TTE): a test where a technician obtains views of the heart by moving a small instrument called a transducer to different locations on the chest or abdominal wall. A transducer, which resembles a microphone, sends sound waves into the chest and picks up echoes that reflect off different parts of the heart.
- Transesophageal Echo (TEE): same technology as transthoracic echo, but the transducer is attached to the end of a flexible tube.
- Stress Echo: a transthoracic echo combined with either an exercise (running on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike) or pharmacological stress test.
Walk-in X-Ray visits are available. Appointments are required for Fluoroscopy services only.
Service hours and Times: Monday-Friday 7:30a.m-7:00p.m; Saturday 8:00 a.m-12:00p.m
X-rays are taken in the form of digital pictures. Video X-rays, which help to see internal organs in action, are called fluoroscopy exams. Both X-ray and fluoroscopy machines use a small amount of radiation to acquire images. Common reasons are to diagnose bone injuries, pain, and gastrointestinal tract problems.
We proudly follow the highest standards of the American College of Radiology using Imaging Gently and Image Wisely guidelines to ensure that all patients, especially children receive the lowest possible radiation dose when requiring imaging services involving any radiation.
Appointment required.
Service hours and Times: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
MRI uses a strong magnetic field. Using radio waves and a computer, the MRI produces images of the body with enhanced detail. MRI can be used to perform a wide range of exams, including bone, tissues, and organs. There is no radiation associated with MRI. Some MRI exams require a contrast media to be introduced through an IV to further enhance images for optimal results.
Appointment required.
Service hours and Times: Monday-Friday 7:30a.m-2:30p.m
Nuclear medicine is a remarkable branch of imaging that is used to investigate abnormal molecular activity in many areas of the body. Instead of producing pictures of tumors or fractures, nuclear medicine visualizes activity within your body at the molecular level.
A trace amount of radioactive material called a radiopharmaceutical is injected, swallowed or inhaled before the procedure, and the body area of concern is imaged using a camera that captures radioactive signals. A computer then reconstructs the signals into pictures. Many different radiopharmaceuticals are used depending on the body area being examined.
Common uses of nuclear medicine include perfusion studies, such as myocardial perfusion imaging which is often combined with an exercise stress test or a nuclear stress test. These tests help visualize how well the heart uses blood and reveals blocked arteries and areas of the heart muscle and blood supply. Other studies focus on the lungs and the brain. Nuclear medicine also is used for many purposes, including finding hairline fractures and arthritis in the bones, treating abnormal thyroid, locating inflammation of the gallbladder and identifying the source of fevers and infections of unknown origin.
Appointment required.
Service hours and Times: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce enhanced images of your organs, blood vessels, and other structures within your body to assist the Radiologist to distinguish pathologies such as cysts, kidney stones, and blockages in the veins and arteries. Ultrasound is used during more invasive exams such as guided biopsies. There is no radiation associated with Ultrasound. A small amount of gel is placed on the skin, and a “wand” called a transducer is pressed against the area being examined. The transducer emits sound waves that are processed into pictures by a computer.