Programs & Services:
Radiology
The Radiology Department at Newton Memorial Hospital is dedicated to providing the highest quality inpatient and outpatient clinical imaging services. The department is staffed by 8 Radiologists, all of whom are Board Certified by the American College of Radiology. The department also employs highly skilled, licensed and/or certified technologists.
The Radiology Department is located on the first floor and is located just past Patient Access. Someone at the Information Desk will be able to direct you. Here are some of the services offered by the Radiology Department at Newton Memorial Hospital:
- Computed Axial Tomography (CT Scanning): Computerized tomography (CT, CT scan, CAT scan) is an X-ray technique that produces more detailed images of your internal organs than do conventional X-ray studies. Using CT, your doctor can distinguish between adjacent tissues of similar composition that are indistinct on conventional X-ray images. For example, a plain X-ray of your abdomen will show bones and subtle outlines of the liver, stomach, intestines, kidney and spleen. But a CT scan reveals with clarity and precision not only these structures but also the pancreas, adrenal glands, ureters and blood vessels.
- Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Services (X-ray): X-rays (radiographs) are a form of radiation that can make images of your bones and internal organs. Doctors use X-ray images to help diagnose injury or illness and to monitor conditions such as osteoarthritis and pneumonia. Fluoroscopy uses a continuous or pulsed X-ray beam to create moving images of a working body structure. For this exam, you may consume or be injected with a contrast medium. Doctors can use fluoroscopy to watch the flow of blood through the arteries (angiography) or the movement of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Ultrasound: This technology works by bouncing high-frequency sound waves off of body tissue to form images on a small monitor. Special crystals inside a small plastic device known as a transducer direct these waves (pulses) of sound into the area that's being imaged. During an ultrasound exam, gel is applied over the area being imaged. The gel helps conduct the sound waves and eliminates air between the transducer and the skin. The resulting black and white images can be somewhat hard for the untrained observer to decipher. However, radiologists and ultrasonographers are skilled in reading ultrasound scans and interpreting them to help diagnose certain conditions.
- Nuclear Medicine: These procedures use tiny amounts of radioactive materials called tracers (radiopharmaceuticals). Tracers are composed of radioactive atoms (radionuclides) attached to specific biological molecules, which are attracted to and accumulate in certain organs and tissues, such as bones. These tracers emit waves of radiation that are detected by a special gamma camera. This camera produces images that are interpreted by radiologists or nuclear medicine specialists. This state-of-the-art technology also gives Newton Memorial Hospital the ability to do cardiac stress testing for the heart.
- Mammography: Mammography is an X-ray of the breasts performed to detect breast lumps when they are too small to be detected by physical examination. These small lumps can be the first finding of early-stage breast cancer.
NOTE: This information is for reference only. Preparation information for all tests conducted at the Radiology Department will be provided by your physician’s office or a member of Newton Memorial Hospital’s award-winning Radiology staff.
For more information on Radiology services at Newton Memorial Hospital, please call (973) 579-8720.
