› Forums › General Melanoma Community › What to look for in a CT/MRI scan
- This topic has 24 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 4 months ago by
Kim K.
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- December 1, 2015 at 2:08 am
Something Ed said in another thread got me thinking about something I've been wanting to ask the board for a while. Does anyone have any advice or knowledge on what is considered a good machine in regards to MRI and CT scanners. Going forward I'm going to be moving my scan location from a major medical facility to a local facility and I'm a little concerned about the capabilities of the new facility. What I should be looking for as far as capablities? Thanks if anyone has any info.
Brian
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- December 1, 2015 at 2:27 am
Brian not sure on what machines are better than others but my doctor at u of Chicago didn’t have any issues with me being scanned locally. He was more concerned about keeping consistent using the same machine. Although i have wondered the same question. -
- December 1, 2015 at 2:27 am
Brian not sure on what machines are better than others but my doctor at u of Chicago didn’t have any issues with me being scanned locally. He was more concerned about keeping consistent using the same machine. Although i have wondered the same question. -
- December 1, 2015 at 2:27 am
Brian not sure on what machines are better than others but my doctor at u of Chicago didn’t have any issues with me being scanned locally. He was more concerned about keeping consistent using the same machine. Although i have wondered the same question.-
- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
-
- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
-
- December 1, 2015 at 7:10 am
Hi there,
I had a MRI scan head at another hospital they did not use contrast , my consultant requested it again . I have 2 hospitals near by I was told the one at the other hospital is a stronger machine. So am going again. Not sure at this stage why doing again till I see him but having done each time on same machine could be why he asked for it again to be done . Worse thing brain mets.
scooby
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- December 1, 2015 at 2:28 pm
For MRI the higher tesla gives the better image. But most places already have the older machines. If I remember the numbers right mda is upping theirs to the 1.3 tesla Simmons brand. But they have like 2 tesla and maybe higher available for sale. Also like the 2 tesla bore MRI is like twice as fast as well as twice as clear an image as the 1 tesla so it would be reall good. They might be getting one at west county Barnes in Saint Louis if that tech gets her way. The uprights though don't have the image quality they claim so not good enough for us.
No idea about ct but I assume similar things.
Artie
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- December 1, 2015 at 2:28 pm
For MRI the higher tesla gives the better image. But most places already have the older machines. If I remember the numbers right mda is upping theirs to the 1.3 tesla Simmons brand. But they have like 2 tesla and maybe higher available for sale. Also like the 2 tesla bore MRI is like twice as fast as well as twice as clear an image as the 1 tesla so it would be reall good. They might be getting one at west county Barnes in Saint Louis if that tech gets her way. The uprights though don't have the image quality they claim so not good enough for us.
No idea about ct but I assume similar things.
Artie
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- December 1, 2015 at 2:28 pm
For MRI the higher tesla gives the better image. But most places already have the older machines. If I remember the numbers right mda is upping theirs to the 1.3 tesla Simmons brand. But they have like 2 tesla and maybe higher available for sale. Also like the 2 tesla bore MRI is like twice as fast as well as twice as clear an image as the 1 tesla so it would be reall good. They might be getting one at west county Barnes in Saint Louis if that tech gets her way. The uprights though don't have the image quality they claim so not good enough for us.
No idea about ct but I assume similar things.
Artie
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:38 pm
Most major centers now have 3T MRIs. There are limited 7T MRIs in use, as well. My neurosurgeon said that while the 3T is better, he has no trouble reading the 1.5T — it does have everything to do with who reads them. Contrast seems to be very important on brain MRIs, and in my case (pituitary tumor) the only truly good scan is done using a dynamic protocol (dye being infused via IV as images are being taken). I'm not sure if that is true for brain mets or not.
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:38 pm
Most major centers now have 3T MRIs. There are limited 7T MRIs in use, as well. My neurosurgeon said that while the 3T is better, he has no trouble reading the 1.5T — it does have everything to do with who reads them. Contrast seems to be very important on brain MRIs, and in my case (pituitary tumor) the only truly good scan is done using a dynamic protocol (dye being infused via IV as images are being taken). I'm not sure if that is true for brain mets or not.
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- December 1, 2015 at 7:38 pm
Most major centers now have 3T MRIs. There are limited 7T MRIs in use, as well. My neurosurgeon said that while the 3T is better, he has no trouble reading the 1.5T — it does have everything to do with who reads them. Contrast seems to be very important on brain MRIs, and in my case (pituitary tumor) the only truly good scan is done using a dynamic protocol (dye being infused via IV as images are being taken). I'm not sure if that is true for brain mets or not.
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- December 1, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Thanks everyone. Sounds like the "Tesla" rating deals with MRIs. My limited reading on CTs seems to indicate the machines "slicing" capability is what determines how good it is. Can be anywhere from 16 to 300+ in newest machine. Not sure yet but I think over 128 would be considered good. One interesting thing is the more slicing capability of the machine the less exposure the patient receives. For folks getting a scan every 2 to 3 months for several years that can be significant. My guess is the major facilities have the latest and greatest and pass their used machines to the smaller local places when they upgrade
Definitely something I'm going to look into. May be worth driving an hour or two every three months if the images are better and safer.
Brian
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- December 1, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Thanks everyone. Sounds like the "Tesla" rating deals with MRIs. My limited reading on CTs seems to indicate the machines "slicing" capability is what determines how good it is. Can be anywhere from 16 to 300+ in newest machine. Not sure yet but I think over 128 would be considered good. One interesting thing is the more slicing capability of the machine the less exposure the patient receives. For folks getting a scan every 2 to 3 months for several years that can be significant. My guess is the major facilities have the latest and greatest and pass their used machines to the smaller local places when they upgrade
Definitely something I'm going to look into. May be worth driving an hour or two every three months if the images are better and safer.
Brian
-
- December 1, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Thanks everyone. Sounds like the "Tesla" rating deals with MRIs. My limited reading on CTs seems to indicate the machines "slicing" capability is what determines how good it is. Can be anywhere from 16 to 300+ in newest machine. Not sure yet but I think over 128 would be considered good. One interesting thing is the more slicing capability of the machine the less exposure the patient receives. For folks getting a scan every 2 to 3 months for several years that can be significant. My guess is the major facilities have the latest and greatest and pass their used machines to the smaller local places when they upgrade
Definitely something I'm going to look into. May be worth driving an hour or two every three months if the images are better and safer.
Brian
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- December 2, 2015 at 7:58 pm
When having a brain MRI, the more Teslas the better. My scans are done on a 3T machine, not the 1T. The more teslas means better scan quality and ability to pick up smaller mets. The scan may take a bit longer and it may be harder to find a more powerful 3T machine, but it is worth it. BTW – brain scans should use contrast to pick up mets that otherwise may have been missed.
CT machines same thing with resolution. You need to know what size the slices are. The smaller the slice ex. 3 mm versus 5, the more precise. Like anything else the drawback is more radiation exposure.
KK
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- December 2, 2015 at 7:58 pm
When having a brain MRI, the more Teslas the better. My scans are done on a 3T machine, not the 1T. The more teslas means better scan quality and ability to pick up smaller mets. The scan may take a bit longer and it may be harder to find a more powerful 3T machine, but it is worth it. BTW – brain scans should use contrast to pick up mets that otherwise may have been missed.
CT machines same thing with resolution. You need to know what size the slices are. The smaller the slice ex. 3 mm versus 5, the more precise. Like anything else the drawback is more radiation exposure.
KK
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- December 2, 2015 at 7:58 pm
When having a brain MRI, the more Teslas the better. My scans are done on a 3T machine, not the 1T. The more teslas means better scan quality and ability to pick up smaller mets. The scan may take a bit longer and it may be harder to find a more powerful 3T machine, but it is worth it. BTW – brain scans should use contrast to pick up mets that otherwise may have been missed.
CT machines same thing with resolution. You need to know what size the slices are. The smaller the slice ex. 3 mm versus 5, the more precise. Like anything else the drawback is more radiation exposure.
KK
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