Your breasts are made up of glands, ducts and fibrous tissue, referred to collectively as fibroglandular tissue, and fatty tissue, all wrapped in skin. During a mammogram, your radiologist evaluates the images to determine the amount of dense versus fatty tissue in your breasts.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a life-changing event and you may be overwhelmed with what to do next. A second opinion can provide you with a better understanding of your diagnosis and treatment options. A fresh look at your health from another physician may provide a different management plan or reaffirm that the plan provided is appropriate.
External beam radiation therapy, the most widely used type of radiation therapy, comes from a machine (linear accelerator) that aims radiation at the specific spot that is affected with cancer. The machine is large and may be noisy. It does not touch you, but rotates around you, sending radiation to your body from many directions.
Placement of ear tubes in children is often performed at the hospital or at The Surgical Center of DuPage Medical Group. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia that is administered by a mask. In most cases, no IV is required. Procedure length is variable, but often lasts about 15 minutes. Minimal bleeding from the ears can be expected. Once the child has awakened from anesthesia, is able to drink, and parents are comfortable, everyone can go home. Immediate recovery from anesthesia can last about an hour.
Veins are blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart. To keep blood moving toward the heart, veins have one way valves. When the valves breakdown, blood does not flow well and can cause Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) and varicose veins. The abnormal flow of blood is typically referred to as ‘reflux’ since the blood moves backwards and forwards. Venous reflux occurs most often in veins closest to the skin (superficial veins) and varicose veins can be blue, red, or flesh-colored. They typically look like cords under the skin and can be twisted or bulging. Spider veins are like varicose veins, but much smaller. The look like small tree branches on the surface of the skin.
Fluoroscopy, or fluoro, is made up of “live” X‑ray images that when they are put together look like a movie. A fluoroscope allows medical staff to see bones and also helps physicians to identify soft tissue pathology.
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are a series of non-invasive diagnostic tests that measure how well your lungs work and can be used to help diagnose certain lung disorders. ‘Pulmonary function tests’ is an inclusive term that refers to many different procedures that measure how your lungs work in different ways. Specifically these tests measure how well you are able to breathe and how well your lungs are able to supply oxygen to your body by measuring your lung volumes, capacities, rates of flow and gas exchange.
Radiology imaging is a critical component of healthcare used as a tool in medicine to show parts of the body. But have you ever wondered why your physician referred you for a CT scan instead of an MRI, or what Nuclear Medicine is used for? If so, this infographic is an easy reference chart that highlights the different types of diagnostic imaging and what they’re used for.
Obesity is a chronic, neurobehavioral disease that affects over 30 percent of adults in the United States today. You are considered obese if your Body Mass Index (BMI) score, which compares your height to weight ratio, is 30 or higher. Overtime, carrying excess weight increases your risk of developing other health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
The terms “closed” and “open” generally refers to the geometry of the magnets used in MRI scanners.