General x-rays can be performed on these areas:

• Abdomen
• Chest
• Pelvis/hip
• Ribs
• Skull/sinuses/facial bones/orbits
• Spine: cervical, thoracic and/or lumbar
• Upper or lower extremity

If the patient is either too ill to come to the Radiology Department or is having a surgical procedure performed, a portable x-ray machine can be taken to the patient's bedside or operating room table.

General radiology procedures with or without fluoroscopy include:

• Arthrogram
• Digestive tract studies: esophagus, stomach, small bowel, and colon
• Feeding and speech studies
• IVP
• Myelogram
• Sialogram
• Feeding tube insertion
• Voiding cystogram

Ultrasonography utilizes a high-frequency sound beam to visualize the internal structures of the body. The sound beam is directed into the body and the resulting densities of tissue are analyzed to produce the diagnostic image.

Ultrasound is a versatile imaging modality. Ultrasound scanning can be performed on many different parts of the body. Our exams commonly focus on the following:

• Neonatal brain (portable ultrasound exams in the Special Care Nursery)
• Abdominal organs (ie: liver, gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas, etc.)
• Pelvic organs (ie: uterus, ovaries, bladder, testes)
• Small parts (ie: thyroid gland, ophthalmic, breast, etc.)
• Vascular (ie: extremity vessels, abdominal vessels)

CT utilizes a rotating x-ray source, x-ray detectors and a complex computer system to create cross-sectional images of the body. CT was the first modality that allowed for the non-invasive visualization of internal structures and today remains the most widely used cross-sectional technology for brain and body imaging.

We follow Image Gently‎ protocols to reduce radiation doses in children and are continually reviewing protocols to maintain these standards.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is based on the magnetic behaviour of hydrogen atoms in human tissues when they are placed in a magnetic field and excited by radio frequency pulses. After they are excited, hydrogen atoms return to their normal state by emitting energy that is monitored.

This process is characterized by relaxation times, which reflect the chemical and physical properties of tissues (such as temperature and flow) and that contain a lot of information which cannot be obtained by any other imaging modality using ionizing radiation (x-rays). In medical diagnostics, the main uses for MRI are to study the soft tissues of the central nervous system, spine, extremities, bones and joints.

MRI procedures include:

• abdomen
• breast
• cardiac
• chest
• extremities
• head/neck
• joints
• pelvis
• spine

In the Special Procedures lab, a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are performed using fluoroscopy and digital angiography. A majority of the procedures involve inserting small catheters into blood vessels and recording x-ray images of the vascular anatomy while a special substance is injected to highlight the vessels of interest.

The abdominal vessels, cerebral vessels, and the heart are often studied this way. Congenital heart disease is a common indication for diagnostic imaging in the Special Procedures lab. The procedures can provide more information about pressures within the heart chambers as well as the opportunity for interventional therapeutic procedures such as angioplasties, stent insertions, embolization procedures or coil placements. Other procedures such as biopsies, gastric tube and drainage tube insertions use the lab for its fluoroscopy and anaesthetic equipment.

The exams in the Special Procedures room combine cardiac procedures, vascular procedures, and general radiology intervention.

Cardiac exams include:

• Diagnostic cardiac catheterization
• Interventional cardiac catheterization
• Cardiac biopsies
• Transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE)

Vascular procedures include:

• Cerebral angiography
• Visceral angiography
• Venograms
• Vascular interventions including embolization and stenting

General Radiology intervention procedures include:

• Gastric/drainage tube insertions and replacement
• Esophageal dilatation
• Transcutaneous abscess drainages
• Transcutaneous renal/liver biopsies (ultrasound-guided)
• Transcutaneous nephrostomy
• Joint injections
• Sialograms