Radiology Forums

scort · Joined: 23 May 2008 Posts: 1

I have concerns about pancreatic cancer due to some of my symptoms. My doc agreed to order an abdominal ultrasound to reassure me. He reported that the test was normal. I picked up a copy of the full report and it reads...

papa · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:54 am Post subject:

for an actual diagnostic response to your question, you'd be better off posting on a physician's forum. i am a ct technologist, however i'll do the best i can within my scope of practice.

1. ultrasound doen't use ionizing radiation. from the way you phrased it, your doctor doesn't feel that there is anything wrong with your pancreas. (could use some help from some sono techs for question #1). when using radiology, it's usually smart to start out with the lowest dose of radiation (while usually within normal limits of what a patient can recieve, ct does give a large dose of radiation. not necessarilly going to do something to you, you just don't want to have one "just to see if everything is ok")

2. ct can be used to visualize a broad spectrum of things. as with any type of radiological study, different things show up differently, and specific studies show things specifically. example being, if you have arthritis in your lower back. you can see it on plain x-rays, CT scans, and MRI's. you can check the alignment of the vertebrae on x-rays, CT can show the bony structures of the veterbral bodies, and MRI does a fantastic job of viewing the vertebral disks.

3. when a radiologist dictates something as "normal", what they are referring to is what is visualized on the study. this is really where you'd need to find a radiologist forum. if they can't visualize a portion of the pancreas due to gas, they read whatever they can on the study.

you don't mention anything of your symptoms as to why you're looking so deeply into your pancreas. family history of pancreas issues? just curious.

papa RTRCT
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papa RT(R)(CT) Mr. Green

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hjhogle · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

The trouble with making a laundry list of symptoms is that any list you can devise will sound like multiple conditions.

"order an abdominal ultrasound to reassure me"

It doesn't sound as though your physician shares your concerns about pancreatic cancer. Perhaps what's more in line is a frank discussion with your physician about your concerns.

hjh, RT