Locations and Hours

Ultrasound is a method of medical imaging that uses sound waves. Depending on the area of your body being scanned, there are different ways of preparing for an ultrasound that are necessary to ensure that the exam is complete and accurate. Please call us for more details, especially if you are having more than one study in one day. The instructions for each are listed below:

RUQ (Right Upper Quadrant), Gallbladder, Abdominal Limited, Abdominal Complete, Renal Artery Doppler
Please do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum for 8 hours prior to the examination. If you must take medication, please drink only a small amount of water.

Transabdominal Pelvic
Please arrive for your examination with a full bladder. You should drink at least 32 ounces of water 1 hour prior to the examination. This will allow time for fluids to make it to the bladder. Do not empty your bladder until after the examination.
Transvaginal Pelvic
Please make sure you use the restroom prior to the examination. An empty bladder is needed. Patient will be asked to void prior to exam.

Renal
It is okay to eat, drink, and maintain your daily routine. Please hold your bladder at least 1 hour prior to exam.

Echocardiogram, Lower/Upper Extremity Arterial and Venous Doppler – Carotid Doppler, Transcranial Doppler, Aorta, Thyroid, Scrotal, Scrotal Doppler These exams require no patient preparation. It is okay to eat, drink, and maintain your daily routine.

An MRI is a diagnostic procedure using radio waves and powerful magnets housed inside a tubular structure. MRIs are used to produce images of bones and soft-tissue anatomy.

Please inform your physician today if you are claustrophobic or think you may be claustrophobic (afraid of enclosed spaces) OR if you are allergic to any medicines.

All MRI examinations are conducted within a magnetic field, so please ensure that you do not have any metallic objects on you at the time of the examination.

Examples:

• Jewelry
• Watches
• Beepers
• Cell Phones
• Pagers
• Eyeglasses
• Hair Pins
• Safety Pins
• Coins
• Paper Clips
• Money Clips
• Straight Pins
• Pocketknife
• Nail Clippers
• Tools
• Writing Pens
• Magnetic Strip Cards (ID badge, ATM, debit or credit cards)
• Bras with metallic underwire, fasteners or hooks
• and more!

The MRI technologist may request that you change into a clinical examination gown if there is any concern regarding interfering material on your clothing. A changing room and a secure locker are available for your clothing and/or personal items.

A CT Scan is a computer-aided X-ray procedure that generates cross-sectional pictures of the body. The actual test itself will take only a few minutes. If you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant, you should NOT have this test.

Depending on the scan that you are scheduled for, you may receive an injection of a special liquid to help the radiologist better visualize the area being scanned. If your abdomen is being scanned, you may also need to drink a barium liquid. If you have had an allergy in the past to iodine or any kind of X-ray contrast, please discuss this with your physician and let us know prior to the day of your appointment.

Exam with intravenous (IV) contrast
You should have nothing to eat or drink 4 hours prior to the examination, unless otherwise instructed by your physician.

Abdomen & Pelvis
When your appointment is scheduled, you will be given a barium liquid. Please drink all of the liquid 1.5 hours before your scheduled examination time. Other than the barium liquid, you should have nothing to eat or drink 4 hours prior to the examination.

Other Examinations
No preparation is needed for all other examinations, unless otherwise instructed by your physician.

No caffeine for 48 hours prior to the study. Wear comfortable walking shoes and loose clothing that allow you to exercise. It is recommended to drink plenty of water. One small meal is acceptable prior to the study. Do not take certain blood pressure medicines for 48 hours prior to the study. Contact the Nuclear Medicine Department for a list of blood pressure medicines. Please call us with any additional questions.

The purpose of an exercise cardiac nuclear stress test is to evaluate the blood flow to the heart muscle when the heart is under stress (exercise) and at rest. Before exercise, a small intravenous (IV) line will be started in a vein in your arm or hand. The IV will allow us to inject the Cardiolite marker into the bloodstream at the appropriate time.

What will happen during the test?

During a nuclear stress test, first you will be injected with Cardiolite, a radioactive tracer, in the vein of your arm or hand. Cardiolite is taken up by the heart muscle through the coronary arteries in proportion to the blood flow to it. This material should not affect you in any way. It is then necessary that you wait between 20 and 45 minutes for the tracer to circulate to the heart. You will be instructed where to wait. You will then be placed on a special chair (similar to a dental chair) and a Nuclear SPECT (single-photon emission computerized tomography) camera will travel across your chest to obtain the rest images of your heart. This takes approximately 15 minutes. It is necessary that your arms be placed above your head during the cardiac stress test.

Next, you will be moved to a stress room to continue your study. Electrodes will be placed on your chest, similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG). Your blood pressure, heart rate, and EKG will be monitored and recorded by an attending CPC physician.

You will be asked to perform a “graded” exercise test on a motor-driven treadmill. The first stage will begin with the treadmill at a slow speed and a slight uphill inclination. Every three minutes the treadmill will increase in speed and elevation. The CPC physician may stop the test at any time for medical reasons or you may stop the test because of significant fatigue or discomfort. In general, however, we encourage you to exercise as long as possible in order to maximally stress the blood flow to your heart.

About 60 seconds before you need to stop exercising, a small amount of the radioactive Cardiolite will be injected into your bloodstream through the IV line and allowed to circulate during the final minute of exercise. The CPC physician will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and EKG for several minutes following the exercise.

You will then be instructed as to when a second set of images will be made of your heart. This can range anywhere from 15 minutes post-exercise to 3 hours post-exercise, depending on the schedule. When you return, a second set of images will be made in the same way as the first set of images and will also take approximately 15 minutes.

When both sets of images are completed, a cardiologist will have a view of your heart at both rest and stress. Even though it may be hours after exercise for your “stress” images, the isotope entered your heart at maximum stress and will remain there until images are completed. Your CPC physician or medical assistant will call you to give you the results of your nuclear stress test as soon as possible.

PATIENT INSTRUCTIONS: NO COFFEE OR CAFFEINE FOR 48 HRS. DRINK WATER THE MORNING OF EXAM FOR EASY ACCESS TO YOUR VEINS. DO NOT EAT AFTER 8PM THE DAY BEFORE OR TAKE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS FOR 48 HRS FOR YOUR NUCLEAR STRESS TEST. BRING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE WITH YOU THE DAY OF YOUR EXAM. DIABETICS MAY EAT A LIGHT MEAL THE MORNING OF THE EXAM. NO CAFFEINE OR COFFEE.