We're committed to a clean and safe facility. Submit your health declaration
(860) 489-7314
220 Kennedy Drive
Torrington CT 06790
ULTRASOUND
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Diagnostic and Intervention
Ultrasound imaging of the musculoskeletal system provides images of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and soft tissues throughout the body.
Used to complement MRI
Non-invasive and is usually painless
No radiation
Excellent alternative to MRI for severely claustrophobic patients
Effectively images tendons and ligaments in patients who can not have an MRI for a variety of reasons.
Image-guided therapeutic injections to treat tendinosis, arthritis, neuromas and other conditions, such as tennis elbow;
Image-guided aspirations of bursa, ganglions and cysts;
Detection of tiny foreign bodies in soft tissues;
Ultrasound-guided needle aspiration of shoulder calcific tendonitis;
Real time dynamic evaluation of tendons.
Fenestrations of tendon for treatment of tennis elbow or plantar fasciitis.
Yes. We strongly urge you to discuss this study or procedure with your primary care physician.
Breast Ultrasound for Dense Breast
A screening mammogram must be performed to determine the breast’s density. A mammogram is still the best exam to find early breast cancer because some breast cancers present only as abnormal calcifications and these can only be seen on a mammogram. If your screening mammogram is significantly dense, an ultrasound will be recommended.
It looks at dense breast tissue in another way. Normal breast tissue appears white on a mammogram but unfortunately so do may cancers. With ultrasound, some cancers are much more visible in patients with dense breast. Screening breast ultrasound will take between 15-30 minutes to perform.
Each individual's insurance plan is different. We highly encourage you to discuss with your insurance provider and the facility to see if this exam will be covered.
The most commonly used method for assessing and reporting breast density mammography is the BIRADS (American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) describing four different categories: (1) entirely fat; (2) scattered fibroglandular densities; (3) heterogeneously dense; and (4) extremely dense.
Please discuss this procedure with your physician if you think you need it. We will require an order from your physician.
On February 3, 2004, I was diagnosed with Stage 3c breast cancer. Less than 48% of women with Stage 3c breast cancer are alive after five years. What I learned since my diagnosis is that 1) I have dense breast tissue and wasn’t aware of its significance in that tumors in women with dense breast tissue are often not detected by mammography alone (tumors appear white on a mammogram and dense tissue is white-thus no contrast to detect the tumor) and 2) the mammography report that is generated by the doctor, which contains more detailed information about a woman’s breasts, is not the same report that a women receives after having a mammogram.
Just two months prior to my diagnosis, I had a mammogram and the “Happy Gram” report that I received gave me a thumbs up. During my annual exam, my doctor felt a “ridge” in my right breast and ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound. The mammogram saw “nothing” but that same day the ultrasound detected a large 2.5 cm tumor. Because cancer was detected at a later stage, I had to endure an aggressive treatment of chemotherapy and radiation. The side effects of the treatment were debilitating. While I lost all my hair, it was minor compared to the other effects. I had mouth sores; my nails fell off; had extreme fatigue and still have neuropathy (numbness and tingling in my feet and hands). This could have been prevented if the cancer was diagnosed at an earlier stage. Since my diagnosis, I am compelled to tell the best kept secret about dense breast tissue and its significance. Please help me reveal this best kept secret about the limitations of mammography alone to detect cancer in women with dense breast tissue.
For more information contact:
Nancy M. Cappello, Ph.D. (203)263-0867 nanteach@earthlink.net
Ultrasound imaging, also known as ultrasound screening or sonography, is a way of obtaining an inside view of the human body using high frequency sound waves. No x-rays are involved in the ultrasound scanning technique.
Ultrasound equipment is comprised of a unit that looks like a computer monitor mounted on a console. A transducer, a small, hand-held, non-invasive device that looks like a microphone, is gently moved across the patient’s body surface by the sonographer in order to generate an image. Gel is spread onto the skin and the transducer is pressed firmly against the skin to obtain the image. Most exams take about 30 minutes to complete.
Most women are familiar with obstetrical ultrasound which is commonly used in determining the size, age, position (and sometimes the sex and number) of their unborn baby or babies.
Abdominal ultrasound is used to examine both soft tissue and organs (such as the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and aorta). With this information, radiologists can determine the causes of pain, such as gallstones or kidney stones, size of masses and cysts, or other abnormalities. Because the images are live, an ultrasound enables doctors to study blood flow in arteries and veins on a “real-time” basis. This allows treating physicians to determine potential blood clots or plaque build-up within the vessel walls.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your exam. The preparations for an ultrasound vary depending on the body part you are having scanned.
If you are having an ultrasound of any Upper Abdominal Organ do not eat 8 hours prior to your exam.
If you are having an ultrasound of your Pelvis you will need to have a full bladder for this exam. Do not empty your bladder 2 hours before the exam.
No prep is needed if you are having an ultrasound of your Breast, Extremity or other body parts (i.e., Thyroid).