CT scan Post-ADR

[Judi]

Hi,

Anyone else had a CT scan after their ADR. Seems pointless. Don't the discs interfere with the readings. Just wondering why my doc scheduled one along with x-rays.

[annapurna]

A really skilled radiologist paired with a skilled technicial can probably reduce the effect of the metal artifact. We had one who could throw the artifact far enough out to resolve the facets on Laura's ADR level but Utah's lovely healthcare legal situation drove him to find a state where he could afford to continue to work. The folks of North Platte, Nebraska will be enjoying his skills in the near future.

[cathydownunder]

Judi
I had a lumbar CT approx 5 weeks ago, 3 weeks post-op.
To me, some of the films look distorted and some not. The surgeon however didn't seem to have any problem reading them. I guess it depends how skilled and experienced the reader is.I wouldn't put much faith in the radiology technician (I've had too many incorrect findings!)but your surgeon should know exactly what they're looking at/for.

[annapurna]

Done right, the radiologist's finding should have been more reliable than the surgeon's, but there should have been three people involved: the tech running the equipment, the radiologist (full doctor with a few extra years of specialization) who reads the results and submits them to the surgeon, and the surgeon. The radiologist who is leaving our area has a favorite rant that far too many surgeons fail to take the time to explain what they wish to know or expect to see and far too many radiologists fail to have the time to sit down with the patient and go through the images working on correlating the image and the patient's symptoms. Considering he's willing to do that with us, you can see why we're bummed that he's leaving.

[Carmont]

There's some new MRI machine that can get a decent image of your spine with ADR. They do it at Southwest Diagnostic Imagine Center in Dallas, Texas. They tried hard with me, but apparently its not doable with both Dynesys and ADR. They were able to get a semi-decent image, some flares, with a ct/myelogram with contrast.