CT Scans as Art

Is it possible to blend radiology and art? Yes, according to Dr. Satre Stuelke. Stuelke, a physician and an artist, created a radiology art project by performing Computed Tomography (CT) scans on various everyday objects such as children's toys, a bag of chips, a slice of pizza, a cell phone, a razor... The results are a colorful and fascinating collection of artwork that has been featured in many locations ranging from private pediatric offices to the National Institutes of Health!

Dr. Stuelke has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, and he created his radiology art project when he was a medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. His artwork may be viewed at www.radiologyart.com.  (The photo above is a CT scan of a children's toy.)

Understanding Osteoporosis

What is it?  Osteoporosis, whose name comes from the Greek phrase meaning “porous bones,” is exactly that – a thinning and weakening of the bones in the body. 

How many people are affected? Osteoporosis affects 55% of Americans over the age of 50. Of these, 80% are women. About half of all women over the age of 50 will suffer a broken bone due to osteoporosis. 

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis? Being a woman, advanced age, and a family history of osteoporosis are all risk factors for the disease. Women of Asian or European descent, who are past menopause, are at the highest risk, but osteoporosis affects both men and women and can be caused by certain diseases. 

What are the dangers of osteoporosis? Because osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle, they are in danger of breaking or fracturing even with very little impact. Coughing or bending over can cause fractures when bones are weak. Osteoporosis-related fractures occur most commonly in the hip, wrist or spine. 

How is osteoporosis diagnosed? The disease is diagnosed using a DXA (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry) bone density scan. The scan uses two kinds of low-energy X-rays that produce images showing bone mineral density. From this scan, doctors are able to tell how likely it is that a patient will suffer a bone fracture. Based on the scan, physicians come up with a score which indicates whether a patient has osteoporosis, osteopenia (a milder precursor to osteoporosis), or normal bone density. 

Is the test painful? No! The test is fast (15-20 minutes total) and painless. It simply measures the bone mineral density in the bones of your spine, hip and wrist – the places most likely to be affected by osteoporosis. 

Are there other tests done for osteoporosis? Yes. Lateral Vertebral Assessment, used for patients over 50 years old, can identify spine fractures. This scan is also painless and quick. It may be recommended for patients who have unexplained back pain, borderline DXA results, or those who are older and have lost over an inch of height. Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology offers both DXA and Lateral Vertebral Assessment scans. 

Are there treatments for osteoporosis? Yes. There are various medications that can be prescribed for patients diagnosed with osteoporosis. 

Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk? Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, are helpful in creating/maintaining bone density. Smoking increases bone loss, so if you smoke, quit now. Excessive alcohol may decrease bone formation – stick to no more than one drink per day. Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. 

Wondering what your risk factors are?  Take this interactive quiz and find out! Are you concerned about developing osteoporosis? Tell us in the comments! Also, be sure to discuss with your doctor if scheduling a DXA is appropriate for you.

CT Lung Cancer Screening Could Save 12,000 Lives a Year

Results of a new study have revealed promising results regarding the use of Computed Tomography (CT) scans to screen smokers and former smokers for lung cancer. The study, which was published in the journal Cancer, examined results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) which took place between 2002 and 2009, and screened smokers and former smokers aged 55 to 74 for lung cancer. The NLST results, published in 2011, showed that lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans reduced lung cancer deaths by 20% compared with chest X-rays.

Using this information, researchers from the American Cancer Society decided to calculate an estimate of how many lives could potentially be saved in the United States by using CT screening. Assuming that those eligible for screening would be men and women, aged 55 to 74, who either currently smoke or are former smokers (who quit within the last 15 years), the researchers estimated that a total of 12,250 lung cancer deaths would be prevented. While the authors recommend further studies to examine cost-effectiveness and screening frequencies, low-dose CT scans for lung cancer assessment hold great promise in reducing lung cancer deaths in this country.

Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is pleased to offer low-dose CT scans for smokers. Ask your physician if you are an appropriate candidate for screening. If you are, you will need a prescription from your referring doctor. Please note that most insurance carriers require authorization for CT. Remember, the best thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to stop smoking. Below are a few resources to help you get started:

• Stop Smoking - American Lung Association
• Guide to Quitting Smoking - American Cancer Society
• New York State Smokers' Quitline
• NYC Quits!
• CDC - Tips from Former Smokers

CT Scans of Mummies Show Modern Disease Isn't So Modern

Hardening of the arteries, or "atherosclerosis," was assumed to be a "modern" disease caused by today's lifestyle and bad food choices ... until now. Scientists have used whole body computed tomography (CT) scans on mummies from four ancient civilizations spanning over 4,000 years and found that they too suffered from atherosclerosis! The new study, published in the journal The Lancet, examined mummies from ancient Egypt and ancient Peru, as well as  Ancestral Puebloans and Unangan hunter-gatherers. Signs of hardening of the arteries were found in all of the populations, regardless of the diet and lifestyle of that population. Some of the populations were farmers, some were foragers, some lived mostly on fish, and some were hunters and lived mostly on meat.

The researchers concluded that "the presence of atherosclerosis in premodern human beings suggests that the disease is an inherent component of human aging and not characteristic of any specific diet or lifestyle."

 

Credit: Dr. Michael MiyamotoEgyptologist Gomaa Abdel-maksoud prepares a mummy for a CT scan. The researchers were looking for evidence of arterial disease in the mummies. This mummy, Hatiay, who lived between 1550 and 1295 BC, had extensive vascular disease. credit - http://www.livescience.com/14190-gallery-scanning-mummies-heart-disease.html 

New Hicksville Office and Extended Hours at All Locations!

At Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, we are always looking for ways to improve the service and convenience that we offer our patients. Thus, we are proud to announce the opening of our new Hicksville office.

The Hicksville office is conveniently located near both the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, as well as being accessible by the Long Island Rail Road. Our new location offers high-end imaging studies that you've come to expect from ZPR, including 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis), 3T Skyra MRI, Digital X-ray and Ultrasound. The office is located at 272 North Broadway and the phone number is (516) 686-0900. The Hicksville office joins our other nine locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties, including Merrick, Massapequa, Plainview, Lindenhurst, West Islip, Smithtown, Stony Brook, East Setauket and Medford.

In addition to our new Hicksville office, ZPR is pleased to announce extended evening and weekend hours for all locations. Our offices will now be open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for all studies, and from 8:00 a.m. to midnight for MRI. On Sundays, the offices will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for all studies.

What is 3D Mammography?

Recently in our blog, we posted about how a large study showed the benefits of adding 3D mammography (also called breast tomosynthesis) to regular mammography. In this blog post, we answer a few questions about 3D mammography.

Q: Who might benefit from adding 3D mammography to their traditional mammogram?
A:  All women could potentially benefit from 3D mammography since it has been shown to increase cancer detection while lowering the risk of false-positive results. However, it appears that women with dense breasts may see the most benefits. A recent Yale study found that women with extremely dense breasts had a 57% reduction in being called back for additional testing when 3D mammography was used. Younger women also had reduced call back rates when 3D mammography was used.

Q: Does 3D mammography replace my regular mammogram?
A: No. 3D mammography is an add-on to your regular mammogram. It allows physicians to see a
     3-dimensional view of your breast tissue and helps them to identify even very tiny tumors.

Q: Will there be more compression necessary to get the 3D images?
A. No! Your breast will be under the same amount of pressure as during a regular mammogram. The X-ray tube makes an 8-second arc over your breasts, while 15 low-dose images are taken from various angles. These images are then put into a special computer program that creates the 3D images.

Q: Is there more radiation exposure from adding 3D to my regular mammogram?
A: Yes, however the radiation exposure is still well below FDA levels. Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is committed to using the lowest dose of radiation possible by utilizing state-of-the-art technology to reduce radiation exposure.  We also participate in the Image Wisely program to eliminate unnecessary scans and lower radiation doses.

Q: How specifically could 3D mammography benefit women with dense breasts?
A:  In a mammogram, fatty tissue shows up dark, while dense breast tissue shows up white. Unfortunately, potentially cancerous spots also show up white, making them harder to spot in dense breasts. 3D imaging creates pictures of millimeter-thin slices of breast tissue, helping radiologists to see through overlapping tissue and better identify potential cancers. Radiologists end up seeing 70 to 100 views of each breast, rather than just two images using conventional mammography. More views equals more accurate images which means better diagnoses.

Q: Which Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology locations offer 3D mammography?
A:  ZPR is pleased to offer 3D mammography at all of our locations, except East Setauket.

If you have any questions about 3D mammography, feel free to email us!

Heart-Healthy Tips

Hearts are not just for Valentine's Day ... February is also American Heart Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 715,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack and about 600,000 die from heart disease every year. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in this country.

As a general rule, heart disease doesn't happen overnight. The most common form of heart disease -- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)-- happens when plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. The good news is that there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of heart disease. It's far easier to prevent heart disease from happening in the first place than it is to treat it. Here are some tips for avoiding a "broken heart:"

- Eat a heart-healthy diet. Eat a diet low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium, and increase your intake of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Watch your portion sizes. Avoid processed, fried and fast-foods. If this sounds too daunting, at least start by cutting back on your fat intake and increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

- Stop smoking! Smoking is bad for almost every part of you, but it's particularly bad for your heart because it causes it to have to work harder. Nicotine narrows your blood vessels and increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke  replaces some oxygen in the blood, raising blood pressure and forcing your heart to work harder to pump blood. The good news? The minute you stop smoking you lower your risk of heart disease, and the risk drops dramatically within just one year. So make the choice to stop now.

- Maintain a healthy weight. This is good advice for your health in general. Excess weight leads to conditions that increase the risk of heart disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Head this disease off at the pass by maintaining a healthy weight. Are you in the right weight range? Use a Body Mass Index calculator to find out -- you can find one here. Another way to tell if you're maintaining a healthy weight is to measure your waist. Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches; women are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches.

- Exercise. Experts suggest that regular daily exercise can reduce the risk of fatal heart disease. They recommend 30 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise, most days of the week. But ANY amount of exercise provides health benefits, so if you can't commit that much time, just do what you can. And remember that walking, gardening and housework all count as exercise. Simple steps, like parking farther away from your destination, or taking the stairs rather than the elevator, can help you add exercise to your day in an easy way.

- Get regular health screenings. Certain conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, can dramatically increase your risk of heart disease by causing damage to your heart and blood vessels. You should be regularly screened by your physician for these conditions, since managing them is the key to staying heart-healthy.

- Manage chronic diseases. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, it is essential that you take your medications as directed, in order to prevent damage to your heart. Because there are few noticeable symptoms of these conditions, people sometimes feel that they can be ignored. They can't. There is a high correlation between uncontrolled diabetes and heart attack.

- Drink alcohol only in moderation. Too much alcohol can increase blood pressure, thus putting a strain on your heart. Stick to no more than one drink a day for women, two for men. A compound in red wine, called resveratrol, shows some promise in protecting the heart, so consider a glass of wine rather than hard liquor.

Taking care of yourself now can mean less problems down the road. Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) is a test which allows doctors to check for narrowed arteries in the heart that can put you at risk for a heart attack. Cardiac MRI is an MRI scan of the heart and blood vessels, and provides 3-dimensional pictures, as well as moving video pictures of the heart beating and blood flowing through the chambers and valves.

At Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, we care about our patients as people and wish you a heart-healthy February and beyond.