Frequently Asked Questions
General FAQs
Make sure to bring any prior imaging studies you have had in the past. If you’ve had x-rays before, you don’t need to bring those. We’ll need to see your driver’s license and insurance information to your appointment.
For all of our imaging appointments, we suggest you dress comfortably and casually! If you are having an MRI, please avoid anything with metal, like a zipper or fastener.
Jewelry, glasses, hearing aids, and other metallic objects may need to be removed for your MRI appointment to ensure high-quality imaging.
Yes! After your exam, you will be able to go home on your own. However, if you need a sedative for the exam, we request you have another person available to drive you home.
Ultrasound FAQs
Although ultrasound exams are common today, many people still don’t know what they are and if they’re safe. At Orchard Imaging we are regularly asked about the safety of ultrasounds and other questions.
Ultrasound imaging is generally considered safe, since it uses no radiation. Ultrasound imaging is generally considered safe when used prudently by trained sonographers. Ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation, which makes it particularly useful when CT or other imaging methods would otherwise result in exposure to radiation, especially for women of child-bearing age.
Ultrasound is used for a number of medical purposes. It is an effective medical tool which assists your healthcare provider in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating certain medical conditions, illnesses, and/or diseases, or to evaluate and monitor the unborn baby (fetus). At Orchard Imaging our team of highly qualified registered sonographers offer a variety of ultrasound specialties. Depending on your diagnostic needs, our team is trained to perform ultrasound exams such as abdomen, OB/GYN, pediatrics, vascular, and small body parts.
Since ultrasound does not use radiation like x-rays or CT scans, it is a much safer and more comfortable option for diagnostic and preventative care. Ultrasound is significantly cheaper than CT scans and MRI’s. Since the price of healthcare has seen an increase, and many people are struggling to afford the care they need, ultrasound technology is a beneficial option for people who need more cost-effective diagnostic and preventative testing.
If you have symptoms of such as pain, swelling or suspected infection, you may have an ultrasound taken of the
afflicted area. Ultrsounds are excellent for observing organs and vessels, such as: Heart, Liver, Gallbladder,
Spleen, Pancreas, Blood vessels, including the aorta, ovaries, scrotum, thyroid and uterus.
The majority of the internal organd and vessels can be examined with the use of an ultrasound. It’s quick,
painless and easy while able to tell a lot about what is happening inside your body.
Your ultrasound appointment will largely depend on what is being evaluated. Ultrasounds are painless procedures. The ultrasound technologist will use some gel for the transducer to glide over the area smoothly. This can be wiped off easily afterward.
Ultrasounds typically take about 30 minutes, depending on which area of the body is being evaluated. As the images are produced in real-time, you see what your technician is seeing. They will often talk you through it, but the doctor still needs to assess it before any results are given.
The entire appointment will typically take about 45 minutes to an hour.
After the exam is completed, the images are sent to one of our radiologists who will create a report within 24 – 48 hours. Once completed, our staff will send the report to your referring provider. Check with your provider for your results. Orchard Imaging has a secure patient portal where you can access your imaging records 7 – 10 days after your exam
If you are getting an abdominal scan to look at the gallbladder, pancreas, or aorta, please do not eat or drink for eight hours prior to the exam.
If you are getting a pelvic or a retroperitoneal(kidneys and bladder) ultrasound, you should drink 32 oz of water an hour prior to the exam.
MRI FAQs
When our Scheduling Coordinator calls you to schedule your MRI, you will be asked a few simple screening questions:
Have you ever had an injury to your eyes with metal? Do you work with metal now and do you wear safety glasses?
Do you have any surgically implanted devices such as pacemaker, nerve stimulator, stents, shunts, pumps, filters, defibrillator, brain aneurysm clips, Cochlear implants? If yes, we need make and model to determine if safe for our MRI machine.
Have you had a colonoscopy within the last 12 weeks?
Your MRI scan will be performed by an accredited Radiologic Technologist working under the supervision of a Board Certified Radiologist. After arriving for your MRI, you will be greeted by an Imaging Coordinator and asked to fill out the safety screening form. Once in the scan room, you will lie down on a padded table. During the exam, it is important to be still, as any movement will cause the pictures to be blurring. The technologist will communicate with you throughout the exam. Even though the technologist is not in the room with you, you will be able to talk by intercom to the technologist. You will also be able to listen to your choice of music through ear phones designed specifically for the MRI room.
For any MRI appointment, you should not eat or drink for six hours before the appointment.
For MRI Enterography, you will need to arrive one hour before the exam. You will be drinking a bottle of oral contrast every 20 minutes before your appointment.
For MRI Enterography, you will need to arrive one hour before the exam.
The length of the exam depends on the patient and the body part being examined. Most exams take 30 – 45 minutes.
No. Since MRI is “non-invasive”, the exam is painless.
You will hear a knocking sound as the pictures are being taken. In between the scans, the machine is quiet. Ear plugs will be given to you for your protection
Yes, although every person must be screened and cleared to enter the room. All metal must be removed from the body including hairpins, watches, jewelry, keys, and coins. Also you will be asked to secure your wallet as credit cards with magnetic strips may be erased.
After the exam is completed, the images are sent to one of our radiologists who will create a report within 24 – 48 hours. Once completed, our staff will send the report to your referring provider. Check with your provider for your results. Orchard Imaging has a secure patient portal where you can access your imaging records 7 – 10 days after your exam.
Depending on the type of exam you will be having, you may receive an injection of contrast material. If you are allergic to any medications, had a previous allergic reaction to an IV injection, are diabetic or have renal disease, you may need to have blood work (labs) completed before the exam. Generally, contrast is indicated whenever there is a concern about infection, tumor or cancer, vascular abnormality, organ integrity or possible disc after lumbar surgery.
CT Scan FAQs
Yes. A CT scan is made up of a series of X-rays which are processed by a computer to produce cross-sectional pictures of the part of the body in question. These cross-sectional images allow one to look at the inside of the body just as one would look at the inside of a loaf of bread by slicing it. A CT scan is made up of a series of slices.
The tunnel is the opening in the CT scanner. It is a short tunnel that is open in the front and back. Since the opening contains the X-ray tube and detector which create the CT pictures, the part of your body being scanned must pass through it. For example if your head or neck is being evaluated, then your head and neck will pass through the opening. If the scan is of your abdomen, then only your lower chest down will pass through the gantry.
Radiation safety is of paramount importance to Orchard Imaging. Our equipment and exam protocols are regularly evaluated to ensure that the lowest amount of radiation is used that will still result in the highest quality imaging. Orchard imaging consults with board certified radiologists to build protocols to ensure we provide the safest exams possible.
Before having a CT scan you may be asked to drink an oral contrast. This drink will help to highlight the bowel and stomach for better visualization. An intravenous injection (IV) may also be placed in the arm for a contrast injection. This contrast can help distinguish normal tissues from abnormal tissues. It also helps to distinguish blood vessels from other structures such as lymph nodes. You are likely to experience a hot flash which will go away in less than a minute
As with any medication, people can have an allergic reaction to the intravenous (IV) dye or contrast. At Orchard Imaging we use the safest contrast agent. Before each test, we screen all patients for risk factors such as prior reaction to IV dye, prior severe reaction to medications/foods, or severe asthma. It is important to discuss any allergies or kidney issues with your doctor prior to your CT Scan.
If you are having a CT enterography, you will need to arrive one hour prior to the exam in order to drink your oral contrast before you exam
After the exam is completed, the images are sent to one of our radiologists who will create a report within 24 – 48 hours. Once completed, our staff will send the report to your referring provider. Check with your provider for your results. Orchard Imaging has a secure patient portal where you can access your imaging records 7 – 10 days after your exam.
We are always available to answer any questions you have. If your question isn’t on this list, please contact us at tjenkins@orchardimagingnh.com and we will be happy to help!