ZILKHA RADIOLOGY has low dose CT scanners in the West Islip and East Islip offices.
All patients undergoing CT scans need to be concerned about radiation dose exposure.  This is especially true for children and patients who require follow-up CT studies.  There is a need for radiology groups and hospitals to reduce the dose of your CT scan while maintaining or improving imaging quality and higher diagnostic confidence.
Zilkha Radiology has taken the lead to lower radiation dose by implementing a newly developed technology that achieves excellent images while using a significantly lower dose of radiation. We optimize diagnostic quality while keeping patient safety our number one priority.

Zilkha Radiology acquired this new FDA approved technology which is currently used in children’s hospitals around the country  where low dose CT is the highest priority. How does this technology work?  The amount of radiation generated by the CT source is significantly lowered.  A “noisy” image is produced.  A very powerful computer mathematically removes this noise making high resolution pictures.  Dose is consistently reduced on the order of 50-60% for patients scanned before and after the acquisition of this technology.
The following case is an example of how the new software has a significant impact in dose reduction.  A patient had a CT scan of the chest in December 2009 with a radiation dose of 5.20 mSv.  The patient had a follow-up CT on October 2010.  Using the newly installed low dose technology, the radiation dose was reduced to 2.52 mSv, a reduction of 52%.

Dosage Card - Front
Click on image to enlarge

Zilkha Radiology often sees patients who have had CT scans at other offices or hospitals, and who want to have their follow-up CT scans in our office because of the new technology.  In one such instance, a patient had a CT scan of the chest at another facility on December 2011.  At that visit, the patient received a radiation dose of 12.36 mSv.  The patient came to our office five months later for a follow-up chest CT.  The radiation dose received at Zilkha Radiology was 3.69 mSv, a much lower radiation dose.  The 12.36 mSv is more than three hundred percent higher when compared to the dose at Zilkha Radiology.  We have encountered similar instances of patients with higher dose of radiation received at other facilities, including hospitals, hospital affiliated facilities and other radiology groups.  Zilkha Radiology believes so deeply in this technology that the patient’s dose is printed on every report sent to their doctor. If you want to have your follow up CT at Zilkha Radiology, bring in your prior study and we can tell you what your radiation dose was on your prior CT scan.

Zilkha Radiology is the first and only practice in the Northeast, New York State and Long Island to acquire and provide this new low dose technology in our West Islip and East Islip offices.  We optimize diagnostic quality while keeping patient safety our number one priority.           

The offices are accredited by the American College of Radiology.  

The facility is accredited to perform monitored anesthesia by Board Certified Anesthesiologists.

The facility is equipped to perform blood work analysis prior to contrast injection. 
 
 
 
 
What is PET/CT Scan?
  

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a system that measures the metabolic activity of radioactive glucose, F-18 deoxyglucose (FDG) in tumors.  The increased glucose consumption by tumors compared to normal tissue, is translated into increased uptake of FDG on the PET images.

Anatomic localization of the increased uptake of FDG is made possible and accurate by the simultaneous acquisition of the CT scan (PET/CT).

 

What are the common indications for PET/CT?

PET/CT is primarily used in oncology for the detection of cancer. It is used to determine whether a lesion is benign or malignant.  It is indicated for the assessment of tumor response to therapy. PET/CT is also indicated for the early detection of suspected recurrent tumors and for the diagnosis of metastatic disease.

PET/CT is indicated in a wide variety of cancer including:

·Lung Cancer

·Colorectal Cancer

·Lymphoma

·Melanoma

·Ovarian Cancer

·Breast Cancer

·Head and Neck Cancers

·Pancreatic Cancer

·Brain Tumors

 There are neurological applications of PET/CT including the evaluation of patients with memory impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, seizure disorders and brain tumors.

There are cardiac applications of PET/CT, such as the assessment of blood flow to the heart muscle and tissue viability from prior heart attacks.

 

How is the procedure performed?

A technologist will take you to a room where the radioactive substance is administered through a vein in the arm.  It will take about 60 minutes for the substance to travel and accumulate in the tissues of the body.  During this period, you will be asked to rest quietly and avoid any body movement or talking.  After this period of rest, scanning of the whole body will begin and may take about 30 minutes to complete.  You will be asked to remain still for the duration of the examination.  After the test, you should drink plenty of fluid to flush the substance from your body.

 

How should I prepare for the procedure?

You should wear comfortable loose-fitting clothes.  You should not eat for 5 hours before the test.  You will be encouraged to drink water.

If you are diabetic, you should follow specific diet guidelines to control the glucose level during the day of the test. 

Because the radioactive substance is very short-lived and decays quickly, it is important to be on time for the appointment and receive the radioactive substance at the scheduled time.

 

What factors may alter PET/CT results?

Uncontrolled diabetes and elevated blood sugar level can affect the results of the PET/CT. 

Patients who have eaten within a few hours prior to the examination may have false PET/CT results.  

Because the radioactive substance decays quickly and is only effective for a short period of time, it is important to be on time for the appointment and to receive the radioactive substance at the scheduled time.

 

When will you know the results?

Once your PET/CT exam is completed, the pictures will be looked at by the radiologist, a specially trained physician who is able to interpret the images for your doctor.  The radiologist will send your doctor a written report.  You should contact your physician within 2 to 3 days of your exam to make an appointment to go over your results and discuss your next step.

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