Imaging in cancer Flashcards
What imaging methods can be used to diagnose and stage cancer
Plain radiographs Barium studies CT MRI PET
What is barium sulphate
A radio-opaque contrast used for outlining the gastro-intestinal tract
How does barium sulphate in barium studies work
The high atomic number of barium absorbs more x-ray photons than surrounding tissue
What colour does barium appear on radiographs
White
What does a barium swallow and meal show
Oesophagus
Stomach
Duodenum
What does a barium follow-through (small bowel study) show
Small bowel
What does a barium enema show
Large bowel
How does a patient prepare for a barium meal and follow-through
Fast for 4-6 hours
How does a patient prepare for a barium enema
Low residue diet for 48 hours
Bowel cleansing with picolax
What is a CT scan
When X-Rays produce a digitay image of a slice of tissue, normally in an axial plane, using computing to create the image
What type of cross sectional imaging is used for the initial diagnosis and staging of cancer
CT
MRI
PET
What can CT, MRI and PET also be used to identify
Response to treatment
Evaluation of mass after treatment
Complications of treatment
Concerns for replase
What is a hounsfield unit
Attenuation values of voxels are expressed as a CT number which relates the attenuation value to that of water
Ranges from +3000 (bone) to -1000 (air).
Can CT images be reconstructed
Yes
What type of CT contrast agents are there
Oral
Intravenous
What is an oral CT contrast agent
A dilute iodine based contrast (gastrografin) which can be given to outline the gastrointestinal tract
What is an intravenous CT contrast agent
An iodine based contrast (omnipaque) inject into the veins to show blood vessels or the vascularity of different tissues