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Showing posts with label ▷ 2013 Oct 05. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ▷ 2013 Oct 05. Show all posts
Saturday, October 05, 2013
X-ray Computed Tomography (CT Scan)
SSTattler: This is a very long article so I will include only a sub-set but including the CT Scan of brain/neck.
X-ray Computed Tomography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
X-ray computed tomography, also computed tomography (CT scan), computed axial tomography or computer assisted tomography (CAT scan) is a medical imaging procedure that uses computer-processed X-rays to produce tomographic images or 'slices' of specific areas of the body. These cross-sectional images are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in various medical disciplines. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation.
X-ray Computed Tomography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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| Computed tomography of human brain, from base of the skull to top. Taken with intravenous contrast medium. |
X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT Scan) - Video
CT ScannersPublished on Apr 11, 2012
It's said 'knowledge is power'. Nowadays doctors are getting information in minutes, thanks to advanced imaging.
"From x-rays to MRI. We have ultrasound, CAT scan, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology. So it's a really a broad field," says Dr. John Rodriguez, medical director of outpatient imaging for Lee Memorial Health System.In the spectrum of specialty equipment, there's a rising star.
"CT imaging, that's the trend," says Dr. Rodriguez,CT scanners are taking some of the load from x-rays and more and more often becoming the go-to diagnostic tool.
"We use that to diagnose things everything from broken bones to cancer to hemorrhages in the brain," says Dr. Cory Duffek, a radiologist on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.Producing images with intricate detail.
"A CT scanner uses x-rays to make an image of a patient non-invasively. We take images of the patient over 360 degrees and then mathematically reconstruct that into an image or a slice. We see bone, muscle, tissue, air, we can image from head to toe," says Dr. Duffek.New CT scanners give off less radiation.
"What we're able to do now is reduce the radiation dose to the patient by about 10-15% and sometimes up to 40% for certain scans and still get the same image quality," says Dr. Duffek.Scans take less than a minute. Lee Memorial Health System is equipping itself with a fleet of new scanners, including the area's first 128-slice scanner.
"One area that it really plays a big role in is a work up of acute stroke. We are able to not only identify whether is ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, we can identify which blood vessel is causing the stroke," says Dr. Duffek.It's giving doctors powerful tools and scanning the horizon of health care.
View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/.
Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we've been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
Standard YouTube License @ Lee Memorial Health System
Saturday Comics
| For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston - 2008-08-16  "Just a minute. John... it's my brother..." | Dilbert Scott Adams - 2013-09-30  "Marketing's optogenetic device tweaked..." |
Garfield Jim Davis - 2013-09-29  "I wonder where Garfield is?" | Betty Delainey & Rasmussen - 2013-10-04  "In the sistine chapel looking at the ceiling..." |
*For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. See as well the cartoonist Lynn Johnston.
** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com and Dilbert.com.
*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.
Eclectic Stuff
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Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
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A New Blog Author in SSTattler - Richard (Dick) L. Burns
SSTattler: Welcome to Richard (Dick) L. Burns - I think we will call him just "Dick Burns"!
Guest Blogger - Richard (Dick) L. Burns
Guest Blogger - Richard (Dick) L. Burns
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| Richard (Dick) L. Burns Live or Die: A Stroke of Good Luck |
- Dick Burns is a retired television and advertising man the one who put the smile on the PSA airplanes and helped engineer a cultural icon, the Fruit of the Loom Guys.
- He is recognized nationally as an authority on retail marketing through broadcast advertising.
- He is the author of business articles and newspaper columns.
- A graduate of Stanford University, he suffered a massive stroke at age 38 and was not expected to live.
- He lives in central California where he is active in many organizations and is an avid golfer.
- His book site, Live or Die: A Stroke of Good Luck, and it is available in Amazon.
- See his blog site, Live or Die: A Stroke of Good Luck on the internet.
From Person to Patient
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| Robin Rocky Mountain Stroke Survivor |
I felt really out of place as I walked into the emergency room. The only other time I’ve walked into an ER waiting room from that direction was when Hubby had appendicitis in the middle of the night and we walked into the deserted small town hospital where I was just starting my residency. (To give you an idea of how small, we had three labor rooms and only two labor and delivery nurses on at a time.) That time was easy. I’d told them he had appendicitis, they had him in surgery within a couple hours. This time, I felt a little silly. I looked perfectly fine. I felt fine, mostly. Just dizzy and uncoordinated. But not like someone who belonged in an emergency room.
“What is your emergency?” the triage nurse asked me.
“Um. I’m having some neurological deficits,” I replied. ”I guess I could be having a stroke.” Thankfully, one of my partners had called ahead and they were expecting me.
Stroke Story Part 2 to the Hospital
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| Andrea A Year of Living In My Head |
At this point none of us are calling this a stroke. We are driving down the road, and 12 year old Wilder starts calling people. Some of these memories are loosely running around in my head and I don't have the tightest grip on them. Like where did he get the wherewithall to call friends and family? Once he dialed my friend Lisa, and she determined he was not kidding she told him to hang up and dial 9-1-1. 9-1-1 had Rose pull the car over to the side of the freeway while the operator kept Wilder talking. I was awake and alert enough to worry when the aid car and firetruck pulled up... the firetruck blocking the right lane of traffic around a bend in the freeway... that it was not parked in the safest spot. We left the car, and the kids and I got in the aid car. I don't know if it was good or bad but my kids being there kept me from being drawn into the quiet of my brain. There was something powerful wanting me to tune out --no anxiety, no fear. But strongly present was what my kids were seeing, and feeling, and their fear. That is why I stayed present, to allay their concern, to show that mom was okay.
Imaging
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| Amy Shissler My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery |
I had A LOT of imaging when this happened and for about a year after. Imaging is the term used for all the internal pictures they do. So, an x-ray, MRI, CT scan – all that stuff is collectively called imaging. I’ve learned a few things since my stroke. A CT scan is like a plain film (x-ray) but it takes cross-sectional images, so the doctors can look at ‘slices’ of the body. Plain film is what x-rays are called. Like a plain film meaning it makes it much easier to see “hard” structures in the body, mainly bones. Problems with organs show up on a CT scan as well as tumors, etc. A CT scan is the first thing I had to try to figure out why I collapsed. The doctors said it looked fine. I learned a few months later at a support group for stroke survivors that an ischemic stroke(stroke caused by a blood clot) WILL NOT show up on a CT scan in the first few hours. For that, you need an MRI. An MRI takes pictures of the ‘soft tissues’ of the body. It took them about 30 hours to give me an MRI. Why? I’ll never know. They messed up. I understand that when a 30-year old woman presents to the hospital the last thing anyone would think of would be a stroke but clearly there was something wrong with my brain. And every time I had a follow-up appointment I would have a CT scan. Not sure about this either. I know MRIs are way more expensive but if you have a young woman who had an ischemic stroke wouldn’t the doctors have wanted to see an MRI? I don’t know, I’m not an all-knowing doctor. Imaging - CT Scan vs MRI.
See the original article + 2 Comments:
The Use of Neuroimaging Studies and Neurological Consultation to Evaluate Dizzy Patients in the Emergency Department
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| Dean Reinke Deans' Stroke Musing |
And maybe if ER departments had objective tests for stroke this wouldn't be quite such a big concern.
Abstract
Background and Purpose:
Dizziness is a frequent reason for neuroimaging and neurological consultation, but little is known about the utility of either practice. We sought to characterize the patterns and yield of neuroimaging and neurological consultation for dizziness in the emergency department (ED).Methods:
We retrospectively identified consecutive adults presenting to an academic ED from 2007 to 2009, with a primary complaint of dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance. Neurologists reviewed medical records to determine clinical characteristics, whether a neuroimaging study (head computed tomography [CT] or brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) or neurology consultation was obtained in the ED, and to identify relevant findings on neuroimaging studies. Two neurologists assigned a final diagnosis for the cause of dizziness. Logistic regression was used to evaluate bivariate and multivariate predictors of neuroimaging and consultation.Fifteen Years Ago Today...
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| Jeff Porter Stroke of Faith |
Fifteen years ago, this was a bad day. But the day could have been far worse.
May 8, 1998, started as a busy work day for a reporter, starting with two-hour drive from Little Rock, Ark., to Batesville, Ark. Fellow reporter Sandy Davis and I were sitting in a government office, sifting through boxes of documents.
About noon, my right arm and right leg fell useless. I could not speak. I was in the grip of a stroke. Sandy got help. An ambulance crew took me to White River Medical Center.
For this 15th "anniversary" of my stroke, I spoke with Dr. John O. Collins, the neurologist who treated me with the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. At the time, he was practicing in Batesville, the small town where I grew up. Not long before, he'd finished a medical residency at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
I was the first patient he administered tPA to on his own.
"You were a classic case," he said. Within an hour of my symptoms, a CT scan showed a blood clot, in the left side of my brain. About two hours after my stroke, the tPA started flowing. Shortly afterward, I showed clear signs of recovery. My arm and leg could move once again. I struggled with speech but that, too, came back.
Predicting Hand Recovery by Infarct Size -- Not
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| Peter G. Levine Stronger After Stroke Blog |
Interesting work here by my colleague Stephen J. Page.
It seems like in "no-brainer." The more brain destroyed by the stroke, the greater the disability. Right? Except that when it comes to arm and hand movement, that may not be true."Historically, lesion size been thought to influence recovery, but we didn't find that to be the case when looking at regaining arm and hand movement," Steve put it.
There is no way to stare at your brain scan and A.) know what the deficit is gonna be B.) know how profound any deficit will be C.) predict recovery.
And Then...
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| Diane The Pink House On The Corner |
Yesterday, I got up at 4:00 a.m. I say "got up" as that's when I physically got out of bed. I had been awake since 3:00 a.m. I had gone to bed at midnight. So that's how little sleep I had gotten. Mostly, I laid in the bed thinking...
On Monday, I had a long discussion with the vascular surgeon, who told me that he had never seen a polyp the size of the polyp on Bob's gallbladder. The thing, he said, was nearly 2 inches long. Shaped like a walnut. There was a big chance that such an enormous polyp would be cancerous, and even if it wasn't now cancerous, it certainly had the potential become malignant and needed to be taken out. He did tell me that gallbladder cancer was "extremely rare", however, when it occurred it was "usually fatal". We also discussed the warfarin situation, and he told me he would switch Bob over to a heparin drip which would keep Bob's blood thin until the surgery and be restarted after surgery. This way, there would only be a 4 hour window that Bob would be unprotected. We talked too about the difference between doing the surgery with a scope or opening Bob up. The scope would be easier, but might not be impossible because of old scar tissue on Bob's stomach. Opening him up would take longer and have more risk factors. Before commencing with the surgery, he would be running some tests.
Monday night, I had left the hospital at 9:30 p.m. when they began preparing to take Bob down for a CAT scan.
What I Learned About Caregivers
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| Rebecca Dutton Home After a Stroke |
I live alone so I am both a stroke survivor and a caregiver. Things have been going smoothly so I had forgotten how much caregivers do. In my last post I talked about a water main break. I had to find and contact a plumber to come see why my water was a scalding 155 degrees. I had to be home when the plumber replaced the thermostat and the heater coils. Instead of thinking about my exercises I was making arrangements to get my hot water heater fixed. If I were still married my husband would have taken care of this.
Living alone showed me that caregivers are pummeled by a triple whammy. They have to (1) do the chores they have always done, (2) take on their partner's role, and (3) be a therapist. For example, a wife may have to take out the garbage, take the car to have the oil changed, and change the batteries in the smoke detectors. A husband may have to cook, do laundry, and deal with insurance companies. When caregivers become therapists they may have to help with self-care, set up home exercises, transport a spouse to appointments, and deal with a stroke survivor's bad moods. Yikes!
When I was a therapist I visualized caregivers helping with self-care and exercises. I never pictured them doing additional chores. I never thought about them needing time to recharge their batteries with rest, fun, and social support. Now I cringe when I realize I used to think "oh the spouse or adult child will take care of that."
See the original article + 5 Comments:
Daisy - the Little Pup Who Believed
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| Monty Becker Stroke Survivors Tattler |
The triumphant story of a little pup called Daisy who overcame all obstacles. It is a story about strength, friendship and love - but most of all it is a story about believing in ourselves.
Video created by Heidi in ON, Canada
Standard YouTube License @ H R
ZIP LOCK BAG - Good Tip!
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| Jackie Poff Stroke Survivors Tattler |
"We went with friends to Sweety Pies on Sunday for breakfast and sat in the patio section beside the house. We happened to notice zip lock baggies pinned to a post and a wall. The bags were half filled with water, each contained 4 pennies, and they were zipped shut. Naturally we were curious! Ms. Sweety told us that these baggies kept the flies away! So naturally we were even more curious! We actually watched some flies come in the open window, stand around on the window sill, and then fly out again. And there were no flies in the eating area! This morning I checked this out on Google. Below are comments on this fly control idea. I'm now a believer!"Ann Says: I tried the ziplock bag and pennies this weekend.. I have a horse trailer. The flies were bad while I was camping. I put the baggie with pennies above the door of the LQ. NOT ONE FLY came in the trailer. The horse trailer part had many. Not sure why it works but it does!
Sunday Stroke Survival~It's Puppies in the Murphey Saga!
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| Jo Murphey The Murphey Saga |
Since I'm off topic this month with the syndicated stroke recovery sites that republishes me anyhow, I'll get back in sync by November. A couple of them took a summer break leaving me to publish what topics I wanted without a tie in. So what to talk about today....hmmm...Oh, a bright spot in my future. Yeah that's it. I have new news.
I've wanted another dog for some time now. Not just any dog but a fairly large one, a German Shepherd. Plus I wanted a female to boot for the first one because they are easier to train. She in turn would help train the male when I got him. Females are smarter and quicker to learn from my experience.
Yes, I know they are big dogs when they grow up. Yes, I'm limited with my disabilities, but still I wanted one. In my younger years I trained AKC Shepherds for guard dogs, family pets, and show dogs. I did quite well at it and know there is no better family orientated dog breed that can protect the family. There's something about their size, their canine teeth, and their deep bark and menacing growl that make grown men pee their pants. Gee, I wonder why. (giggling) I'd planned to have at least two for protection of our acreage, if not four. It's a big piece of property.Same Deadline, New Goal?
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| Barb Polan Barb's Recovery |
Marcelle Greene (at upstroke.blogspot.com) wrote an entry in June about “Problems with goals.” At the time, it sounded similar to what I had in the diaspora in my head; in fact, she and I have previously responded to each other’s posts along the lines of: “I wish I had written this.”
My particular struggle, though, is not with goals, but with deadlines. In newspapers, there are “soft” deadlines: if an article or photo isn’t submitted by the requested deadline, in reality, the publication can wait for it, or the deadline was actually soft (i.e., fake) – coming in late just means the publisher doesn’t know it’s going to be in on time and alternative plans are made. A “hard” deadline, though, means, “Too bad, the paper was laid out without your piece, and the ink just hit the newsprint, so your submission ain’t in it. You are shit out of luck.” That didn't mean, though, that it couldn't run in the next issue.
The World of Henry Higgins and My Fair Lady
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| Mark A. Ittleman The Teaching of Talking |
I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with one of the most popular musicals there ever was on Broadway. It was My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. The film version included Audrey Hepburn as Eliza. If you have not had the opportunity to see this wonderful film, I would strongly suggest it. Why? It’s a wonderful musical firstly with songs and lyrics that can stay with you for the rest of your life….Secondly it is the story of an ELOCUTIONIST. This term was used in the previous century as the name of the professional who could improve your speaking. He knew the fine art of Elocution, which is the ability to utter speech sounds clearly and distinctly.
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| My Fair Lady The story of a complete transformation in the ability to speak. |
Anders Ynnerman: Visualizing The Medical Data Explosion
SSTattler: He talks about CT Scan and a little bit of MRI - technology is moving faster than I thought!
http://www.ted.com Today medical scans produce thousands of images and terabytes of data for a single patient in mere seconds, but how do doctors parse this information and determine what's useful? At TEDxGöteborg, scientific visualization expert Anders Ynnerman shows us sophisticated new tools -- like virtual autopsies -- for analyzing this myriad data, and a glimpse at some sci-fi-sounding medical technologies in development. This talk contains some graphic medical imagery.
Standard YouTube License @ TED
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