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What is a breast ultrasound? Breast ultrasound is the examination of the breast tissue using an ultrasound scan. Ultrasound uses high frequency soundwaves to produce images (or pictures) of the body that are displayed on a screen. Ultrasound of the breast helps to distinguish fluid filled lumps in the breast (cysts) from solid lumps which may be cancerous or benign (non-cancerous).…
What is a breast MRI? A breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a medical test where magnetic fields, radiowaves and an advanced computer are used to produce very detailed images of the breasts without using X-rays. The MRI machine is a large cylinder-shaped tube surrounded by a circular magnet. You will lie on a sliding examination table that is moved into the centre…
What is a nuclear medicine gated blood pool scan? A nuclear medicine (NM) gated blood pool scan is an imaging test which involves labelling the red blood cells in your blood with a radiopharmaceutical and then measuring the amount of blood in the heart during different parts of the heart beat. The images are acquired on a gamma camera. The filling and emptying of the heart…
What is a micturating cysto-urethrogram? A micturating cysto-urethrogram (or MCU) is a study using X-rays that shows the bladder and urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body) while passing urine (see children’s X-ray examination). The test is performed to find out if the urine goes from the bladder back up to the kidneys instead of…
What is an MRI scan of the rectum? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a very strong magnet, and radio waves, to make detailed pictures of organs inside your body. MRI is considered to give the best (clearest) images or pictures of the tissues around the rectum, for identifying the extent of any disease. It makes very accurate pictures of diseases involving the rectum,…
What is a paediatric abdominal ultrasound? A paediatric abdominal ultrasound is an examination of the abdomen with an ultrasound machine that uses sound waves to form images of different organs within the child’s body. The sound waves cannot be heard by the human ear and cannot be felt by the child having the ultrasound study. Abdominal ultrasound studies are most commonly…
What is an X-ray examination? Radiography is the imaging of body structures using X-rays. X-rays are a form of radiation similar to visible light, radio waves, and microwaves. X-radiation is special because it has a very high energy level that allows the X-ray beam to penetrate through the body and create an image or picture. The image is created due to the X-ray beam being…
What is amniocentesis? Amniocentesis is a procedure where a needle is inserted into the abdomen to obtain a small amount of amniotic fluid. The foetus grows in the uterus, or womb, inside a bag called the “amniotic sac” surrounded by amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is made by the placenta (the organ that develops inside the uterus to supply food and oxygen, through the…
What is a cerebral perfusion study? A cerebral perfusion study is a nuclear medicine scan that looks at brain function by demonstrating the amount of blood taken up by the brain cells. Other tests such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show what the skull, brain and blood vessels look like but a nuclear medicine cerebral perfusion study can…
What is a paediatric renal ultrasound? A paediatric renal ultrasound is an examination of the kidneys and bladder with an ultrasound machine, which uses sound waves to form images of different organs within your child’s body. The sound waves cannot be heard by the human ear and cannot be felt by the child having the ultrasound study. Renal ultrasound studies are…
What is a whole body MIBI myeloma scan? A whole body MIBI myeloma scan is a nuclear medicine scan which involves the injection of a radioactive material or radioactive tracer called technetium-99m-Sestamibi, or MIBI for short. MIBI is injected into a vein, usually on the front of your arm near the level of your elbow or on the back of your hand, and is taken up by any myeloma…
What is a foetal MRI? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a way of taking detailed pictures of the inside of the body. It is useful for looking at many parts of the body. A foetal MRI gives additional information about your baby from the information received from an ultrasound scan that will have been carried out routinely during your pregnancy. During an MRI scan, pictures…
What is a myelogram? The spine is made up of bones called vertebrae. At the front of the spine is solid bone, and at the back there is a bony canal, or channel called the spinal canal. The spinal canal contains a fluid-filled tube extending from the base of the skull to the tailbone. This is called the thecal sac...
What is a CT colonography? (Also known as CT colonoscopy, virtual colonography or virtual colonoscopy). A computed tomography colonography (CTC), is a CT scan to look at the colon, or large bowel. A CT scan is a specialised X-ray test during which the patient lies on a moving table/bed as it passes through a circular X-ray machine. In order to study the large bowel, dietary…
What is a urethrogram? A urethrogram is an examination of the urethra by X-ray imaging, almost always carried out on males. This information sheet relates to the procedure being carried out on a male. The urethra is the tube that runs from the bladder through the prostate and penis. A urethrogram is usually carried out to show the cause of poor urinary flow thought to be caused…
What is a children’s (paediatric) barium meal? A paediatric barium meal is a study to examine a child’s stomach and small intestine (or bowel). It is sometimes carried out with a barium ‘swallow’, to show the oesophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach), or with a barium ‘follow through’, to show the small intestine. Barium (a chalky substance)…
What is a children’s (paediatric) hip ultrasound for developmental dysplasia of the hip? A paediatric hip ultrasound is an examination of a child’s hip joints with an ultrasound machine, which uses sound waves to form images or pictures of the hip joint. These sound waves cannot be heard by the human ear and cannot be felt by the child having the ultrasound. Developmental…
What is an MRI scan of the prostate? A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner uses strong magnetic fields to create an image (or picture) of the prostate and surrounding tissues. The prostate gland is a small soft structure about the size and shape of a walnut, which lies deep in the pelvis between the bladder and the penis, and in front of the rectum (back passage). Its function…
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