Radiology at GBMC

Diagnostic Radiology

The Diagnostic Radiology department performs a host of procedures in the x-ray department as well as by the bedside, in the operating room, and in the emergency room.  This department performs well over 100 different kinds of procedures including routine chest x-rays and fluoroscopy procedures, complex vascular road mapping procedures in the operating room, and emergency room x-ray.

Interventional Radiology

Interventional Radiologists pioneered modern medicine with the invention of Angioplasty in 1964. Today an array of other diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are performed. They use x-rays, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease non-surgically. Some of the more recent advances in interventional radiology include:

• Nonsurgical ablation of tumors to kill cancer without harming the surrounding tissue
• Embolization therapy to stop hemorrhaging or to block the blood supply to a tumor
• Catheter-directed thrombolysis to clear blood clots, preventing disability from deep vein thrombosis and stroke

The Interventional Radiology Lab at GBMC offers over 170 procedures and performs 7,500 procedures annually. The lab is located on the 3rd floor of the main hospital.

Computerized Tomography (CT)

In the early 1970's the first CT exams were performed. CT uses a rotating unit and computers to create cross sectional images of the patient's anatomy. CT has made huge leaps in technology over the last decade. The new technology offers greater detail with less motion in a shorter period of time. This technology allows imaging of the heart non-invasively to evaluate disease, imaging of the colon thorough virtual colonoscopy, biopsies, and 3D rendering of images to aid in diagnosis and treatment. The CT department at GBMC has both 16 slice and 64 slice CT scanners. They offer over 60 types of procedures and perform 35,000 procedures annually. CT is located on the 3rd floor of the main hospital.

Ultrasound (General, Vascular, and Echocardiography)

Diagnostic sonography became available in the early 1970's and was quickly adapted by many specialties such as cardiology, vascular medicine, obstetrics and gynecology. It uses sound waves much like those used in Navy Sonar. No radiation is involved. High frequency sound waves are used to assess fetal development, internal organs, and circulation of blood vessels. The Ultrasound department at GBMC has 3 divisions, Diagnostic, Vascular, and Echo sonography. The Ultrasound department offers more than 80 types of procedures and performs 28,000 procedures annually. Ultrasound is located on the 1st and 3rd floor of the main hospital.

Nuclear Medicine

Whole-body scanning, in which the scanner uses an array of 10 scintillation detectors to scan the whole body, was introduced in 1953. The most common studies are myocardial perfusion, bone, lung, tumor, renal, hepabiliary and gastric. The Nuclear Medicine department at GBMC offers more than 50 types of procedures, and performs 8,500 procedures annually. The lab is located on the 1st floor of the main hospital.

PACS

In the mid 1990's Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) technology was born.  In simple terms, PACs allows medical images to be stored and retrieved electronically, much like a digital camera.  For more than 100 years, radiographic film has been the primary tool for capturing and interpreting disease processes.  Over the past several decades, as new techniques and modalities have increasingly embraced digital imaging, including ultrasound, digital angiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance, a natural evolution to digital-based image management has become compelling.  GBMC currently utilizes PACS technology to enhance the various services we offer.

MRI

In the 1980s Magnetic Resonance Imaging was adopted.  This technology uses a gigantic magnet, can line up the protons -- or nuclei of hydrogen atoms -- in an object (or organism) to align with the north-south polarity of the magnet.  A computer "reads" this to create an image in a process known as MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.  MRI is excellent for observing soft tissues. GBMC and Medical Imaging of Baltimore have teamed together to provide MRI services.  The MRI Center is located on the campus of GBMC.

PET/CT

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) machines, can reveal subtle metabolic processes such as tumor growth.  In the year 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of a combination PET/CT machine, the first medical-imaging device that simultaneously and clearly reveals both anatomical details and metabolic processes within the body.  PET also evaluates brain disease such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and early detection of stroke.  GBMC and Medical Imaging of Baltimore have teamed together to provide PET/CT services located on the campus of GBMC.