Medical Imaging Services in Lake Wales

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. AdventHealth Health Lake Wales provides helpful services to educate women on breast health and encourage self-exams and routine cancer screenings.

We use imaging technology that may detect breast cancer at the earliest stages when treatment can be most effective. The combination of caring technologists and imaging technology allows you to receive high-quality care.

Digital Mammography

Mammography is an X-ray exam of the breasts that’s used to screen for or diagnose breast cancer. We offer digital imaging technology for mammograms, which allows our radiologists to:

• Change the Image Brightness for Clarity
• Change the Image Contrast for Greater Visibility
• Read the Results Immediately
• Zoom in on Particular Areas

Digital mammography services offer numerous benefits to women, including clearer images, especially for women with dense breast tissue, which minimizes the need for repeat exams and exposure to radiation.

Breast Ultrasound

A breast ultrasound is often used to further evaluate an abnormality found during a mammogram. Ultrasound allows doctors to see the area closest to the chest wall, which can be difficult to see using mammography. This technology also helps doctors determine whether a breast lump is filled with fluid (a cyst) or is a solid mass.

Stereotactic Biopsies

When a lump or abnormal area is detected during screening, a biopsy can determine whether cells are cancerous. Advanced imaging technology — such as MRI, mammography or ultrasound — can be combined with minimally invasive techniques to obtain tissue samples. We offer digital stereotactic biopsies where women can choose to be seated or lying down during the procedure for maximum comfort.

Bone densitometry, or Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), measures the strength of your bones to determine whether you’re at risk for osteopenia (decreased bone mass) or osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones).

While Caucasian women are at highest risk of developing these conditions, you may also be at risk for developing osteoporosis if you have:

• A Small, Thin Frame
• A History of Fractures
• A Low Calcium Intake
• Experienced Early Menopause

Early detection allows doctors to begin therapy when it’s most beneficial. Our doctors use DEXA scans to diagnose bone disease and to develop treatment plans that slow its progression.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation guidelines say that bone mineral density testing should be performed on:

• All Women Ages 65 and Older
• Postmenopausal Women With Bone Fractures
• Younger Menopausal Women With One or More Risk Factors

If you need a DEXA scan, your physician or a licensed staff member can walk you through what you need to know to prepare for this test.

A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan combines X-ray and computer technology to show highly detailed, 3D images of any part of the body, including:

• Blood Vessels
• Bones
• Fat
• Muscles
• Organs

Scans can also be done using a contrast solution (either swallowed or injected) to make tissues and vessels more visible. We provide a range of advanced CT-guided techniques that our specialists use in both diagnosis and interventional radiology treatments.

An echocardiogram (also called an echo) is a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to create a detailed moving picture of your heart and its valves. It’s often used to measure pumping function in people with heart failure or to determine the extent of damage after a heart attack.

An echocardiogram can help diagnose, evaluate and monitor many conditions, including:

• Abnormal Heart Valves
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Heart Murmurs
• Infections in the Sac Around the Heart (Pericarditis) or The Heart Valves (Infectious Endocarditis)
• Pulmonary Hypertension

Fluoroscopy uses X-ray technology and a contrast solution to provide vivid, real-time images of your:

• Digestive Tract
• Heart
• Intestines
• Kidneys
• Large Bowel
• Lungs
• Reproductive Organs
• Skeletal System
• Urinary Tract

It can also provide visual monitoring and guidance for treatment procedures such as:

• Biopsies
• Cardiac Catheterization
• Image-Guided Injections

AdventHealth Lake Wales offers minimally invasive interventional radiology techniques, so our doctors have safe and effective options to treat any condition you face.

Interventional radiology methods allow radiologists to use X-ray and other imaging technologies — such as MRI, CT and ultrasound — to guide specialized instruments during treatment. Since these procedures only require a tiny incision, there is less blood loss and pain associated with the procedure, and you’ll likely enjoy a quicker recovery.

Combining a powerful magnet, radio waves and computer technology, magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a diagnostic procedure that captures detailed images of tissues, muscles, nerves and bones.

Frequently, MRI is used instead of CT scans to study soft tissues or organs because bones don’t obscure the organs and soft tissues on MRI images as they do on CT images.

Because MRI uses magnetic force and radio waves to create images, there’s no radiation exposure during the procedure.

Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials (given either orally or intravenously) to examine an organ's structure and metabolic function. It is used to:

• Evaluate the Spread of Cancer
• Identify Blood Clots in the Lungs
• Locate Infection
• Scan Organs for Abnormalities

Positron emission tomography, or PET, scans provide specific information about organ and cell functioning by distinguishing among healthy, diseased and dead tissue.

Additionally, CT scans provide a detailed picture of the body's internal anatomy.

Our PET/CT scanning technology combines the physiological information from a PET scan and the anatomical information from a CT scan to provide a comprehensive image of the body in a single scan.

Usually, PET/CT imaging helps diagnose cancer and evaluate treatment by providing:

• A Single, Full-Body Scan That Reveals Where Cancer Exists
• Evidence of Cellular Changes, Which Can Help Doctors Evaluate Treatments Earlier and Make Necessary Modifications
• Information About Cellular Activity to Help Doctors Distinguish Between Benign and Malignant Tumors
• More Accurate Information to Detect Recurrence

Ultrasound, or sonography, uses reflected sound waves to create real-time images of soft tissues, including muscles, blood vessels and organs. Because sound waves are used, there’s no radiation exposure during this procedure.

Although ultrasound is most commonly used to examine a fetus during pregnancy, it’s also an effective tool for detecting:

• Abnormalities in Organs
• Clotted Veins
• Growths, Such as Tumors and Cysts
• Narrowed Arteries

An imaging tool, X-rays use invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones and organs on film or digital media. Standard X-rays are performed for many reasons, including diagnosing tumors or bone injuries.

Frequently, X-ray technology is also used in many diagnostic procedures, such as arteriograms, computed tomography (CT) scans and fluoroscopy.

During an X-ray, different parts of the body allow varying amounts of X-ray beams to pass through a bone or tumor, or soft tissues such as blood, skin, fat and muscle.