CT

Vertebral bodies and sacral fractures

UCSF Radiologist Dr. Hess describes how medical imaging can be used for back pain reduction, treat vertebral bodies and sacral fractures.

 

How to Read Images

UCSF Radiologist Dr. Dillon describes how radiologists read images.
 

The different planes that Radiologists use are axial (divides the body into top and bottom halves), coronal (perpendicular), and sagittal (midline of the body). Radiologists call images that are axial or coronal view differently as they reverse left and right. Radiologists view CT and MR as if they are looking from the feet upward (the right image is the left side of the patient). 

When two images are better than one: Fusing CT and PET images

Radiologists can fuse high resolution images of CT scans as well of PET scans or nuclear med scan to localize the tumor.  It is hard to make out other structures if we don’t have fine details of CT or MR scan. By combining our methods we can help the surgeon or the radiation oncologist and person doing the intervention to figure out best to treat the patient.

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