XRA Medical Imaging

At XRA Medical Imaging we recognize the importance of high quality MRI studies, and we have installed only State-of-the-Art open and patient friendly MRI scanners. Our offices in Cranston, Johnston, Wakefield, and Middletown locations offer the
most advanced imaging capabilities available.

Patient Friendly High Field MRI

Our New “Siemen's Harmony High field MRI” system has been designed to maximize patient comfort, even among the most anxious patients.
All of our MRI scanners are equipped with the most advanced imaging software and options available, which provide:
• Clear, high resolution, thin section images.
• Faster exam times for maximum patient comfort.
• Advanced MR Bolus
• Angiography
• High resolution MR
• Arthrography, with fat suppression technology.
Please arrive to our MRI facility AT LEAST 15 MINUTES before your exam time. Unless otherwise requested.

What is MRI?

MRI, the abbreviated term for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is a medical imaging device that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create an image of a patient’s internal anatomy.

Is MRI safe?

Yes. Unlike many other medical imaging devices, MRI uses no X-ray radiation. No adverse effect from the magnet or radio waves has ever been documented. It is even safe for pregnant women, although to be cautious, unless the situation is emergent, an MRI is not typically recommended until at least the second trimester of pregnancy. The radio waves used to operate the scanner are the same as those used to operate your radio.

Due to the strong magnetic field generated by the MRI scanner, it is not safe for certain patients with metal containing implanted devices such as pacemakers, nerve stimulators, or some of the older aneurysm clips to enter the scanner. Similarly, metal from prior shrapnel injury may be unsafe. However, most patients with implanted devices or shrapnel injury can still be scanned safely provided sufficient time has passed since the device was inserted or injury occurred. When scheduling your examination, our secretary will proceed through a questionnaire that will thoroughly screen for these possibilities. Please inform the secretary of any known metal in your body.

Some MRI studies are performed following the intravenous administration of a contrast agent, which will allow for improved visualization of certain parts of the anatomy. The contrast used in MRI is different than the agent used for CT. Adverse reactions to MRI contrast are extremely rare. Most patients feel some warmth in their arm or mild flushing from the injection, if they feel anything at all.

What if I have a metal containing device or shrapnel in my body?

When scheduling your examination please inform the secretary of any known metal in your body. Please read the response to “Is MRI safe?” for further detail.

What if I am claustrophobic?

At XRA Medical Imaging, our technologists are very sensitive to the needs of our patients and are trained to do all that is reasonable to make you as comfortable as possible. At all times during the scan you are within view and will be able to verbally communicate with the technologist. Only that part of your body that is to be imaged requires entering the magnet. Our Open MRI scanners offer our claustrophobic patients a less confined environment, maintaining imaging quality for most routine examinations. If you feel you might require a mild sedative, please request the medication from your referring physician. Please have someone accompany you to drive home following the examination should you decide to take any medication.

What should I expect?

On arriving at the MRI scanner, the technologist will again ask several questions regarding any possible metal in your body. You will then lie on the MRI scan table, either feet or head first, toward the donut shaped magnet depending on the part of your anatomy to be scanned. A device called a coil will then be placed over the body part to be imaged. If you are to have a scan of your head, a coil will be placed over your head, like a helmet with lots of large openings and which does not cover your face. If you are to receive contrast, the technologist will start an IV in your arm prior to beginning the scan. The table will then slowly enter the scanner and your examination will begin. During the examination you will here a knocking sound. That is the scanner operating normally while acquiring your images. We provide headphones and have a selection of music from which to choose in order to decrease some of this noise. You are also welcome to bring music CDs of your own to listen to during the exam. The technologist will instruct you not to move and perhaps to hold your breath during parts of the examination. It is important to follow these directions as the quality of your examination is reduced if there is motion. Like photography, if a subject is moving, the picture becomes blurry. If the technician sees motion on a scan, they will likely repeat that part of the study adding to the length of the examination. Most studies take between 30 and 60 minutes.

HELICAL CT SCAN .........................

XRA Medical Imaging uses only State-of-the-Art, Helical CT Scanner’s. Helical CT scanners offer faster scanning times and a higher accuracy in diagnosis than some of the older, traditional CT scanners. Helical CT aquires data in thinner slices allowing for a more accurate and precise diagnosis.

What is CT?

CT, the abbreviated term for Computed Tomography, is composed of an x-ray tube and detector that rapidly rotate in tandem around a patient, acquiring information about tissue density of the patient. The acquired information is then processed by a computer that then generates medical images of the patient’s internal anatomy.

What should I expect?

On arriving at the CT scanner, the technologist will ask several questions regarding any significant medical history. You will then lie on the scan table, feet or head first towards the donut shaped scanner depending on the part of your anatomy to be scanned. If you are to receive contrast, the technologist will start an IV in your arm prior to beginning the scan. The table will then slowly enter the scanner and your examination will begin. The technologist will instruct you not to move and perhaps to hold your breath during parts of the examination. It is important to follow these directions as the quality of your examination is reduced if there is motion. Like photography, if a subject is moving, the picture becomes blurry. If the technician sees motion on a scan, they will likely repeat that part of the study, adding to the length of the examination. Most studies take between 15 and 30 minutes. If you receive IV contrast, you will likely experience some normal warmth in your arm and possibly some mild flushing during the injection. Like most medications, adverse reactions do occasionally occur from the injection but are rare, typically resulting in some mild itchiness. Should you experience any side effects please inform the technologist. At XRA Medical Imaging we use only non-ionic contrast, which is more costly but significantly decreases the likelihood of an adverse reaction. When scheduling your exam, if IV contrast is required, our screeners will ask several questions regarding any significant medical history such as prior contrast reactions, strong allergies, cardiac, or renal disease and determine whether scanning at an outpatient facility is appropriate or whether the study should be performed in a hospital setting.

Why do I need to drink this “white stuff”?

If you are having a CT scan of your abdomen or pelvis, you will be given a Barium solution to drink prior to your scan. This is very important as it allows the Radiologist interpreting your scan to discern your intestines from possible pathology.

Why do I need the injection?

The IV injection of contrast helps the Radiologist interpreting your study significantly in several ways, predominantly in accentuating vascular structures and enhancing visualization of abdominal organs. It allows distinction of normal structures from abnormalities that may be more or less vascular. When scheduling your exam, if IV contrast is required, our screeners will ask several questions regarding any significant medical history such as prior contrast reactions, strong allergies, cardiac, or renal disease and determine whether scanning at an outpatient facility is appropriate or whether the study should be performed in a hospital setting.

What if I am claustrophobic?

Due to the rapid scan time of our advanced Helical CT scanners, claustrophobia is rarely an issue even for our most sensitive patients. At XRA Medical Imaging, our technologists are very sensitive to the needs of our patients and are trained to do all that is reasonable to make you as comfortable as possible. At all times during the scan you are within view and will be able to verbally communicate with the technologist. Only that part of your body that is to be imaged requires entering the scanner.

ULTRASOUND ................................

XRA Medical Imaging offers the latest technologies in Ultrasound imaging including High Resolution Digital Imaging, Color Flow Doppler, Abdominal, OB/GYN and Vascular Ultrasound.

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves that once emitted bounce off internal structures, return to the scan head, and are converted into a two dimensional image of the underlying structures.

What should I expect?

You will lie on a scan table and the technologist will place warm gel over the site to be imaged. A transducer will then be placed at the site and manually manipulated to best view the area in question. The technologist may ask you to hold your breath momentarily several times during the examination.

If you are to have a female pelvis examination, scanning will initially be performed from the front of your abdomen, requiring your urinary bladder to be full. Subsequently, an endovaginal probe will be inserted, either by the technologist or yourself. This does not typically cause any significant discomfort.

You cannot hear or feel the ultrasound waves nor is there any evidence to suggest ultrasound is harmful in any way.

Mammography plays a crucial role in early detection of breast cancers. Mammography can show early changes in the breast before a woman or her physician can feel them. Once a lump is discovered, mammography can be a tremendous tool in the evaluation process. It is estimated that 48 million mammograms are performed each year in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration reports that mammography can find 85 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women over 50 and can discover a lump up to two years before it can be felt.

What is Screening verses Diagnostic Mammography?

Screening Mammography is an x-ray examination of the breasts in a woman who is asymptomatic. The goal of screening mammography is to detect abnormalities when they may be too small to be felt by a woman or her physician. Early detection of breast cancer is a women’s best protection in improving a woman's chances for successful treatment. A screening Mammography is recommended yearly for women over the age of 35.

Diagnostic Mammography is an examination of the breast in a woman who has a breast complaint such as pain or a lump. Diagnostic Mammography is also performed to further evaluate a suspicious finding seen on a Screening Mammogram. The images are obtained in the same manner as for a Screening Mammogram, with slight changes in the position of the breast or using different types of compression paddles. Following a Diagnostic Mammogram, a patient may subsequently require a Breast Ultrasound.

What is Bone Densitometry?

Research in osteoporosis, the disorder in which progressive bone loss occurs, is making important new advances. A key factor in this success has been the use of new and improved testing equipment (densitometers) to measure bone density. In the past, evaluating bone density using conventional x-ray systems often did not reveal a potential problem until the patient had already lost 25-30 percent of their bone density. Now, using new, “DEXA” equipment, our radiologists can measure your bone density more accurately than ever before, and this information will help your doctor decide the best course of action for your bone health.

This new, advanced “DEXA” bone densitometer, recognized by the National Osteoporosis Foundation as the most accurate bone density technique, is now available at our Cranston, Wakefield, and Johnston Imaging Centers.

For your health, XRA Medical Imaging recommends that you speak to your doctor about osteoporosis, particularly if you have risk factors or if you are postmenopausal. Should your physician recommend a bone density test, please obtain a referral order and call XRA Medical Imaging for the highest quality, most advanced study available. The exam is safe and painless requiring only a few minutes lying on the scanner table.

Facts About Osteoporosis:

The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that osteoporosis will affect one in every two women, and one in every five men. Osteoporosis results in increased frequency of hip, spine and wrist fractures.
After the age of 50, a women’s risk of developing osteoporosis doubles every
five years.
Early detection can help to prevent further bone deterioration.

DIAGNOSTIC X-RAY ........................

X-Ray Services Include:

Diagnostic Radiography, Fluoroscopy, IVP, Arthrograms and Barium Studies

What are these tests?

Diagnostic Radiography uses simple x-rays to image anatomy, typically to assess either bone structures, heart and lungs, or the abdomen. It requires a momentary X-ray exposure, similar to a photograph, either in a lying or standing position.

Fluoroscopy uses a continuous but smaller exposure of X-rays allowing evaluation of moving structures, such as the diaphragm, in a movie like fashion as apposed to the single frozen image obtained from a single X-ray radiograph.

An IVP, the abbreviated term for intravenous pyelogram, is an X-ray of the kidneys following the injection of a dye(contrast) that concentrates in the kidneys. It is the same dye used in CT scans (Please see the FAQ portion of the CT section for further detail).

Arthrograms are typically performed prior to an MRI of a joint, allowing improved visualization of certain anatomic structures not readily seen in the absence of the arthrogram. It requires the sterile injection of dye(contrast) into the joint using fluoroscopy to identify the precise location of the joint.

Barium studies are X-rays of the gastrointestinal tract after coating with Barium. These studies include Barium Swallow, Esophogram, Upper GI Series, Small Bowel Series, and Barium enema. All but the latter require the ingestion of a barium solution. A Barium enema requires the rectal administration of Barium. Many of these tests require some form of preparation. Please see the section on Exam Preparations for further detail.

For further information regarding diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology and exactly what your scheduled exam will entail, you can go to www.RadiologyInfo.org.