Imaging & Radiology

Bone Densitometry

A bone density test quickly and accurately measures the density of the bone. It is used primarily to detect osteopenia or osteoporosis, diseases in which the bone's mineral content and density are low and the risk of fractures is high. Bone density testing is safe, painless, non-invasive, and lasts only about 10 minutes.

DEXA Scanning

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) is currently the most widely used method to measure bone mineral density. It is an enhanced form of technology that is used to measure bone loss. DEXA is most often performed on the lower spine and hips.

The DEXA machine sends a thin, visible beam of low dose x-rays with two distinct energy peaks through the bones being examined. One peak is absorbed mainly by soft tissue and the other by bone. The soft tissue amount can be subtracted from the total and what remains is a patient's bone mineral density.

Holzer has added a CT Imaging System that vastly improves the medical care for our patients. It is a 64-Slice CT Scanner that creates a series of cross-sectional X-ray images through a portion of the body. During the CT scan, an X-ray beam passes through the body and is recorded by electronic detectors.

Each X-ray measurement lasts just a fraction of a second and represents a "slice" of an organ or tissue. The greater the number of detectors, the better the speed and resolution of the picture, and the thinner the slice, the better the detail. A computer then uses these slices to reconstruct highly detailed, 3-D images of the heart, other organs, and blood vessels throughout the body. In most cases, a patient is injected with a contrast solution to increase the visual detail.

Conventional CT requires that patients hold their breath and remain completely immobile during the scan, which can make it difficult to obtain an accurate image of some patients; particularly pediatric and geriatric patients. Because the 64-slice CT scans so quickly, even in a single breath, these patients now have access to technology that facilitates timely and accurate diagnosis.

Holzer’s CT scanner significantly improves the service for trauma patients in the Emergency Department, where speed of diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death.

A Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan (MRI) is a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses radio waves, a magnetic field, and a computer to generate images of the anatomy. MRI provides images with excellent contrast that allow clinicians to clearly see details of soft tissue, bones, joints, and ligaments. MRI angiography is an imaging technique used to evaluate the blood vessels, for example, to detect aneurysms or cardiovascular problems. Because MRI does not use ionizing radiation to produce images like x-ray and CT, it is often the examination of choice for pediatric imaging and imaging the male and female reproductive systems, pelvis, and hips, and urinary tract and bladder. Holzer Jackson now offers state-of-the-art 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging services on our new wide-bore uMR® 570 scanner that brings image quality, speed, and comfort to our community. Offering advanced imaging exams for a variety of specialties including neurology, orthopedics, oncology, and cardiology; Holzer Jackson provides patients the best MRI experience possible.

Mammography uses a low-dose x-ray for examination of the breasts.

During the exam, the breast is exposed to a small dose of radiation to produce an image of internal tissue. A radiologist then analyzes the images, describes any abnormalities, suggests a likely diagnosis, and sends a report to the patient’s physician.

Holzer is proud to offer the certified Softer Mammogram technology. We offer every woman the opportunity for a softer, warmer, more comfortable mammogram. MammoPad is a foam pad that serves as a cushion between your breast and the mammography equipment.

In addition, Holzer now offers Breast MRI technology. Our new Breast MRI coil allows simultaneous imaging of both breasts with high sensitivity and homogeneity in high temporal resolution imaging of both breasts with complete coverage through to the adjacent thoracic regions.

A breast biopsy using the Mammotome® Biopsy System can help a doctor make a highly accurate breast cancer diagnosis without the need for open breast biopsy surgery. Through the use of computer imaging (x-ray, ultrasound, and MRI), a breast abnormality can be clearly identified and mapped, even in its earliest stages. Digital imaging enables a physician to guide the Mammotome probe to gently collect tissue samples through one small ¼-inch incision.

With the Mammotome Biopsy System, a breast biopsy can be performed in an outpatient setting or a doctor's office under local anesthesia. A doctor can make a precise analysis with minimal pain, scarring and recovery time. The entire procedure generally takes less than an hour, and patients can return to their normal daily activities immediately afterward.

Ultrasound imaging, also called sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the patient’s internal organs. Because ultrasound images happen in real-time, they show more than a static picture. Ultrasound can reveal the structure and movement of internal organs, as well as show blood flowing through the patient’s blood vessels.

In Obstetrics, a fetal ultrasound is sometimes performed during pregnancy to produce a picture of the fetus.

Interventional Radiology is the field of medicine that uses minimally invasive techniques and imaging guidance to perform procedures that can replace conventional surgery.

Services Provided:

• Selective Arteriography and Venography
• Pulmonary Arteriography
• Vena Caval Filter Placement
• Therapeutic Embolization
• Percutaneous Nephrostomy Placement
• Intravascular Foreign Body Retrieval
• Ureteral Stricture Dilatation
• Percutaneous Cholangiography
• Percutaneous Biliary Drainage
• Internal Biliary Wallstent Placement
• Percutaneous Cholecystostomy
• Central Venous Recanalization
• CT and Ultrasound Guided Aspiration and Biopsy
• CT Guided Abscess Drainage
• Trans-Jugular Liver Biopsy
• PICC Line Placement

An electromyogram (EMG) is a test or procedure that is used to record the electrical activity of muscles. When muscles are active, they produce an electrical current, which causes contraction. EMGs can be used to detect abnormal muscle activity that can occur in many diseases and conditions.

EMG can help diagnose many muscle and nerve disorders, including:

• Muscular dystrophy
• Congenital myopathies
• Mitochondrial myopathies
• Metabolic myopathies
• Myotonias
• Peripheral neuropathies
• Radiculopathies
• Nerve lesions
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Polio
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Ataxias
• Myasthenias

Nuclear Medicine is a diagnostic imaging modality that uses small amounts of radioactive materials to help diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Nuclear medicine employs small amounts of radioactive material, called radionuclides, to help examine the function and structure of the patient's internal organs.

By administering these very tiny radioactive substances to the patient, the radiation emitted during the test can be measured, allowing special device known as a gamma camera to create images which can be used in diagnosis. Alternatively, probes may be used to acquire measurements of radiation from various parts of the body, or samples taken for analysis.

Used in therapy, radionuclides can be used to treat disease, such as when Iodine-131 is used in the treatment of thyroid cancer.