X-Ray & Ultrasound

If you are in need of an X-ray for any type of injury like a broken bone or a compound fracture, come and get checked out. With our in-house X-ray machines, we are ready to service your most urgent injuries.

Our X-Ray services include:

• Upper extremities: hand, wrist, elbow, arm (humerus, ulna, radius)
• Lower extremities: foot, ankle, knee, leg (tibia, fibula, femur)
• Chest (lungs)
• Spine / Lumbar
• Skull (face)
• Abdominal
• Pelvis / Hip

Before the test

Your doctor or our staff will provide specific instructions to prepare you. Different exams require different preparation. There is no preparation for a routine x-ray exam. Wear loose-fitting clothes without zippers, buttons, clasps or any metal. It is best not to wear jewelry, since you will be asked to remove it. If you are scheduled for a diagnostic x-ray that requires a contrast agent, such as barium or iodine, you may be restricted from eating before the test.

During the test

You may be given a gown to change into or asked to expose the area of your body under study. You may also be asked to remove jewelry, eyeglasses and any metal objects that can interfere with the x-ray image. Depending on the exam, you may be given a contrast agent to drink or it may be administered intravenously or by enema. The technologist will position you in the x-ray scanner and instruct you to remain very still while he/she takes the necessary views. You will not feel anything different while the x-rays are being taken. The entire process can take anywhere from a few minutes for simple bone scans to an hour or more for procedures involving a contrast agent.

After the test

After most x-rays, patients are released to resume normal activities. If you receive a contrast agent prior to your exam, you may be given special instructions regarding food and drink to help flush the contrast from your body. Nursing mothers who receive contrast materials may be advised not to breastfeed for a few days. If the site of an IV injection becomes swollen, red or painful after 1-2 days, call your doctor.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves (beyond the range of human hearing) and computer processing to create detailed images of internal organs and other soft-tissue structures inside the body. Unlike imaging techniques based on x- ray, with ultrasound there’s no exposure to radiation. It is among the safest of imaging methods, commonly used to monitor pregnancy. The first use of ultrasound for medical purposes took place in the 1940s. Since then, advances in ultrasound technology have greatly improved quality and imaging capabilities to the point where doctors can now see and record a moving 3D image of an organ or fetus and assess the speed and flow of blood through arteries and veins in real-time.

Doctors typically prescribe ultrasound testing at Savannah Healthcare for the following reasons:

• Determine the source and location of pain, swelling and/or infection
• Examine internal organs for disease and abnormalities
• Track the development of a fetus while in the mother’s womb
• Guide minimally invasive surgical procedures and needle biopsies that extract tissue samples for the purpose of diagnosing cancer and other diseases
• Diagnose a variety of heart conditions and assess damage after a heart attack