Differences Between MRI, CT, and X-Ray Imaging

Elevated Health is an innovative primary care clinic, one that does not take insurance, so we can offer you competitive pricing for our services. Our direct primary care, or DPC, model offers several in-office procedures – many of which fall under diagnostic testing and common screening. Today, we’ll walk you through the key differences between MRI, CT scan, and X-ray imaging and why they’re critical in making a diagnosis.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI

An MRI allows technicians to take images of your internal organs, and the machine doesn’t use the ionizing radiation that alters your body’s molecules and damages your tissues. Doctors use this test to see how previously diagnosed diseases are progressing. They also use it as a tool to detect diseases and provide a diagnosis for an illness.

Your technician will place you inside of a large magnet, and you will need to remain perfectly still. Otherwise, the images will come out blurry. You may receive an intravenous contrast agent before the technician takes the MRI. This increases the speed that protons realign with the magnetic field. When protons realign with the magnetic field quickly, the image becomes brighter.

Before you are scheduled for an MRI, there are a few things you must inform your physician about. If you have an implant that contains iron, you must not enter the MRI machine. If you are pregnant, you must not have an MRI because the contrast agent may enter your baby’s bloodstream. Lastly, you may not be able to enter an MRI machine if you have claustrophobia, but the machine is open on both sides, so it will not fully surround you. Also, be aware that MRI machines are extremely noisy.

Computed Tomography or CT Scan

Computed tomography refers to computerized X-ray images. You will lie inside of a structure known as a “gantry.” The machine points a beam of X-rays at a particular body part and rotates around it. It then receives signals that it uses to create “slices” of each body part. Each slice is called a “tomographic image,” and they allow technicians to see more detail than they would be able to see on an X-ray.

These scanners take digital X-rays, so they will not produce a film. It results in 2D image slices, and after several slices have been taken, technicians can stack them to create a 3D image of your organs to easily see each structure and where tumors or other issues exist. This technique is highly efficient at finding problems within the body.

CT scans use X-rays, so they do produce ionizing radiation. The risk of developing cancer because of a CT scan is minimal, but the risk increases every time that you have a CT scan. If you are pregnant, there is no risk to the baby because the focus of the scan will not be your abdominal area. You may be given a contrast agent. If so, be aware that contrast agents can cause allergic reactions.

X-Rays

X-rays are known as “electromagnetic radiation.” X-rays make it possible for your physician to see the structures located inside your body. Your physician will use X-rays to diagnose problems with your bones, find calcifications, detect injuries, diagnose pneumonia, locate foreign objects, and identify masses. The calcium in bones makes the X-ray a particularly valuable diagnostic tool. Bones easily absorb X-rays, so they appear whiter against the black background than other structures.

X-rays are much more beneficial to people than they are harmful. That’s because X-rays can be used to diagnose potentially dangerous diseases, but they also produce ionizing radiation. As with the CT scan, the risk of developing cancer because of X-rays is minimal. Pregnant women can have X-rays without risking harm to their babies as long as the abdominal area is not involved in the scan.

Diagnostic Imaging

Diagnostic imaging is the tool that ensures the correct diagnosis because it can provide your doctor with the clearest pictures. Therefore, it’s vital for you to receive this procedure when recommended.

We’re on Your Team at Elevated Health

A male surgeon counseling a senior male patient on which screening service to move forward with at a direct primary care clinic

At Elevated Health, we understand that you may have concerns about the ionizing radiation that imaging scans produce. We may be able to offer you a scan that does not produce ionizing radiation. We can perform X-rays at our office in Huntington Beach, and we will refer you to our partners for any other type of service. Your membership with Elevated Health allows you the ability to make appointments with us as many times as you need them, and we will not charge you a co-pay.