Imaging Studies

Imaging Studies



Arthrography


Arthrography is used to evaluate the soft-tissue structures within joints and joint surfaces and occasionally to evaluate the structures that surround the joint, such as the rotator cuff tendon, cartilage, ligaments, and sometimes loose bodies. With an arthrogram, dye or air may be injected into a joint, and an imaging study is obtained. This may be a plain radiograph (x-ray), or a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance image (MRI) may be done with injection of a contrast medium into the joint to assess the injury. Risks of arthrography include allergic reaction to the dye or other contrast material, infection, or becoming faint.



Bone scan/SPECT scan


A bone scan is a highly sensitive tool used to search for bone trauma or increased bone activity to assess healing or stress to the bone. An injection of a short-acting radioactive tracer, a very low dose of radiation, is given through the veins. A machine later counts the amount of tracer picked up to evaluate activity of the bones. This test looks at the activity of the bone, not the anatomy (shape or structure); the problem is that the bone scan is not very specific. Increased uptake or activity in the bone can mean many things, including infection, fracture, arthritis, bone bruise, or just increased stress to an area. Increased activity on the bone scan reflects increased blood flow to the area or increased activity of the cells that make bone. Soft-tissue injuries to tendon, cartilage, or ligament may often show by indirect evidence on a bone scan. Bone scans are particularly helpful when there is bone or joint pain and x-rays are normal or inconclusive.


Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a bone scan that looks at different areas of the body in slices, like a sliced loaf of bread. It is similar to a CT scan of a bone, but it allows for more detail of the area.



Computed tomography (CT) scan


CT scans look at bone and to some degree at soft tissues. They can be used to view many planes, as opposed to plain x-rays. Because CT scans allow evaluation of bones and joints in more than one plane, without moving the patient or area being studied, the area can be looked at side to side, top to bottom, or front to back. Even more impressive is that structures are viewed in segments, like slices of bread; thus the CT scan allows visualization of each slice, which shows soft-tissue structures better than an x-ray but not as well as an MRI. Dye may be injected into the joint for a CT scan.

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Jul 18, 2016 | Posted by in SPORT MEDICINE | Comments Off on Imaging Studies

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