- Can X-rays actually give me cancer?
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X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound, PET scans.
Ugh, what does it all mean?
Why are there so many dang letters?
Yes, I hear you.
There are a lot of different types of X-rays
or well, images in medicine,
and it is one of the most common topics I get asked about.
What are the different types of body images
that you can get?
Are some better than others?
Can X-rays actually given me cancer?
Why can't I just get an MRI?
We're gonna go over all of that in way more detail.
So, hang tight.
Hi, I'm Dr. Jordan Wagner.
I'm a board certified emergency medicine physician.
My mission is to make videos
to answer your urgent medical questions
and clear up some myths
about various diseases and illnesses.
Long before the selfie or the you know what pic,
doctors have been appropriately
using medical imaging or photos
to see what is going on inside your body.
These images can help screen for possible medical conditions
before symptoms appear,
diagnose the likely cause of existing symptoms that you have
or monitor health conditions that have been diagnosed
and the effects of treatment for them.
The different types of imaging include X-rays, CT scan,
MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine imaging,
just to name a few.
Each imaging type uses different technology
to create an image of a part or a system in your body.
So, what image is right for you?
Your healthcare professional should discuss with you
which image is the most appropriate for you
in your current situation.
All right, here we go.
Let's get into the basics of each image.
The plain X-ray.
The X-ray is a basic medical image
that you may have heard of before if you broken a bone.
Did you know that the X-ray could also look
for simple lung infections if you have a collapsed lung?
It could also look for some tumors
and it also will help with some abdominal problems.
Sometimes we can do continuous X-rays
during specific procedures.
That way doctors can see in real time what is happening.
Super cool.
This is very common when you're having
a cardiac catheterization for your heart.
The advantages of the X-ray is it's quick,
non-invasive and painless.
And like I said before,
it can help diagnose various injuries and diseases,
including broken bones, some cancers and infections.
The disadvantages of an X-ray include
the small increased risk of cancer in the future
from exposure to the ionizing radiation.
And I'm sure you can guess
that the risk is even greater for children.
Next most common image is the computed tomography scan,
also known as a CAT scan,
also known as a CT scan.
The CT scan uses hundreds of X-rays
to produce cross-sectional images
that detail the inside of our body.
Just like when your grandmother magically
puts that 3,000-piece puzzle together.
Voila!
The computer also magically puts hundreds of X-rays
of images in 3D form.
This is good for bones, organs, tissues and tumors.
The advantage of the CT scan
is that it's quick and painless,
it can help diagnose and guide treatment
for a wide variety of conditions
that the plain X-ray can't,
it can detect or exclude the presence
of more severe problems
and can be used to check
if the previously treated disease has reoccurred.
Sometimes we order a CT scan for issues like appendicitis,
bleeding in your brain, kidney stones
and a whole array of other symptoms and issues.
Disadvantages.
Small increased risk of cancer in the future
from exposure to the ionized radiation, just like X-rays.
And the risk is also greater in children.
Remember, it's like having hundreds of X-rays.
It uses higher doses of radiation than the plain X-rays,
so the risk, although small,
is generally greater than other image types.
Injection of contrast medium or dye
can cause kidney problems or result in an allergic
or injection site reaction in some people.
Some procedures will also require sedation or anesthesia.
All right, moving on to the MRI
or the Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
This image uses magnetic fields and radio waves
to show detailed images of organs, soft tissues,
bones, ligaments and cartilage.
This is a good image for joint injuries,
spinal injury, brain masses,
strokes, spinal cord compressions
and appendicitis in pregnant women.
And there's a few other reasons for the MRI.
While MRIs cause no radiation exposure,
they cannot be used if you have any metal in your body.
Advantages.
It's usually non-invasive and painless,
it uses no ionizing radiation
and can provide very similar information
that the CT scan can give you
for certain types of investigations.
Disadvantages.
It can take a lot of time
and be quite noisy to get this done.
Any slight movement will distort the image
and will have to be retested.
And it's very costly.
If you're a claustrophobic,
this study might not be good for you.
Sedation and anesthesia may be required for young children
and others who just can't remain still.
Injection of contrast medium or dye, if needed,
can also cause the same problems that the CT dye can cause.
This cannot be undertaken in some situations,
especially for people who have a pacemaker in place.
All right, the ultrasound.
Like the name suggests,
the ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves
to produce moving images on a screen
of the inside of your body,
including organs, soft tissues, bones
and most commonly used for the unborn baby.
Advantages.
It's usually non-invasive, safe and relatively painless.
It uses no ionizing radiation.
It does not use any contrast or dye or medium.
Disadvantages of the ultrasound.
The ultrasound has many limitations.
Quality and interpretation of the image
depends on the skill of the person actually doing the scan.
Other factors can affect the image quality,
including the presence of air
or calcified areas in the body.
For example, bones, plaques or hardened arteries
and a person's body habitus or size.
Alright, next imaging modality.
Nuclear medicine imaging,
including Positron Emission Tomography,
otherwise known as the PET scan for short.
This scan involves the injection
or the inhalation or swallowing of a radioactive tracer.
The gamma rays admitted by this material
are used by the scanner to show images of bones and organs.
We do this for bone scans,
PET scans, which are used for monitoring cancer
and other active processes.
While we also use the HAIDA nuclear scan,
which shows the function of your gallbladder.
Advantages.
usually painless.
It can help diagnose, treat or predict
the outcome for a wide range of medical conditions.
Unlike most other imaging,
the nuclear image can show
how different parts of the body are working,
and it's able to detect problems much earlier.
It can check how far a cancer has spread
and how well the treatment is working.
Disadvantages.
This involves exposure to ionizing radiation as gamma rays.
Radioactive material may cause allergic reaction
or injection site reactions in some people.
PET scanners can cause people to feel claustrophobic,
which may mean sedation is required.
All right, that's been your five minutes
on medical imaging with me, Dr. Wagner.
I hope I've cleared up some questions
that you may have had
surrounding different scans that you may have heard of
or that you need in the future.
Or if you've ever had a scan,
let me know in the comments what for.
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that way I can keep making videos like this.
Thank you so much for watching.
Stay healthy my friends.