Radiology for Claims Persons - Part 2
Thursday, February 21, 2002 | 0
In the last article we started off with a brief explanation of radiology and reviewed what plain films, CT, and MRI techniques were and when to use them. Radiological diagnostics takes many more forms though, and the following is a review of some of the less common forms in industrial medicine.
Myelogram: A myelogram involves the injection of a radiopaque contrast dye into the spinal canal. X-rays are then taken, and because of the dye, reveal the anatomy of the spinal canal. Myelograms can be used to diagnose disk disease, spinal stenosis and tumors of the spinal canal. MRI and CT scanning have largely displaced the use of this more invasive test.
Bone scan: In a bone scan, radioactive substance is injected and the scan (taken a short time later) reads the distribution of the radioactivity within the bone.
Angiography: Angiography involves the injection of a radiopaque contrast material into a blood vessel for the purpose of identifying anatomy on an X-ray. This technique is used to create images of arteries in the brain, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, aorta, neck (carotids), chest, limbs and pulmonary circuit.
EEG: An EEG measures the electrical activity of the brain (brain waves) using highly sensitive recording equipment attached to the scalp by fine electrodes. It is commonly employed in the evaluation of neurological diseases.
EMG: An EMG measures muscle response to nerve stimulation. It is used to evaluate muscle weakness, and to determine if the weakness is related to the muscles themselves or to a problem with the nerves that supply the muscles. Abnormal results may be seen in such diseases as disc herniation and bulge, carpal tunnel syndrome, alcoholic neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome and a variety of peripheral nerve disorders.
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