MRI & Identifying Causes of Pain

Imagine the following scenario: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides enough detail that the radiologist and orthopedic doctor diagnosed a 50% tear in a tendon of the right ankle. Without the results from the MRI, the college freshman gymnast would have hurt herself even more. After finishing a dose of steroids to reduce swelling and using an extra-strength pain relieving cream, … Read More

Patient Saves $600 on MRI

Hey, we think the image to the right is exactly how the man felt when he was told by a Capitol Imaging Services associate that with his health insurance coverage and deductible, we were going to save him several hundred dollars on an MRI exam. Unfortunately, his physician referred him to a local hospital. Upon conferring with the hospital, he … Read More

MRI Sticker Shock

Even though this is not a story from our area, it still holds relevance not only in the greater New Orleans area, but in the southeastern United States as well as the entire country. This story is from a public radio news reporter in Boston, Massachusetts who needed to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan. The reporter did call … Read More

Large Bore MRI in Columbus, MS

In the continuing mission for Capitol Imaging Services to implement the latest imaging technologies while identifying ways to make diagnostic testing more comfortable and calm for people, we are pleased to announce the latest addition in MRI to those ends: the Toshiba Vantage Titan 1.5T High Field MRI. Installed at the Imaging Center of Columbus, The Vantage Titan system offers … Read More

Transparent Pricing for Services

Effective January 1, 2021, a federal rule says hospitals have to list the costs of at least some of their services in accessible, consumer-friendly language. The hope has been that equipped with this information, potential patients can shop around and make a better-informed decision before setting foot in a hospital. It may not always be easy to find these costs, … Read More

Know Your CPT Codes

Capitol Imaging Services (CIS) has long touted the encouragement for people to inquire and know about the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code that pertains to a medical exam, procedure or service that they are recommended to have. However, other national resources are also recommending this to people as healthcare consumers. You have the right to know this code and with … Read More

Know your rights

When you visit your doctor and he recommends you have a radiological scan (MRI, CT, PET, X-Ray, Ultrasound etc), you will receive a script.  Your doctor will often make a recommendation where you should go for the scan. In some cases, your physician may belong to a medical group or hospital that owns the imaging center to where you are being referred and … Read More

Understanding an Arthrogram

Capitol Imaging Services is a freestanding independent outpatient imaging provider that performs a specialty procedure called an arthrogram at select affiliate centers. An arthrogram uses imaging equipment to evaluate a joint like the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee or ankle. It is a two-step procedure consisting of a contrast injection into the joint, followed by an MRI or CT scan … Read More

Learn more about MRCP

Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam that produces detailed images of the hepatobiliary and pancreatic systems, including the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and pancreatic duct. Physicians use MRCP to: examine diseases of the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and pancreatic duct, including tumors, stones, inflammation or infection evaluate patients with pancreatitis … Read More

Positioning Inside an MRI

This is an inquiry Capitol Imaging Services associates and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologists get asked frequently. We thought we would provide a brief answer. Center of the MRI The part of the body that is scanned must be in the center of the scanner tunnel. If the body part being scanned is from the waist down, you will be … Read More

Understanding Bone Spurs

If you or someone you know has had knee pain and after their diagnostic testing, they received a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis, you may be more familiar with the term “osteophytes” or as their more common name, “bone spurs.” Bone spurs have been defined as “abnormal bony lumps that appear on the surface of joints that have suffered some degree of … Read More

MRI Claustrophobia

If you have ever felt nervous, anxious or on edge when in tight spaces such as an elevator, closet or even a small car, chances are you show signs of clinical claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is defined as “a fear of being in closed or small spaces” and “an unhappy or uncomfortable feeling caused by being in a situation that limits or … Read More

Movement During MRI

Movement During MRI

FREEZE! Hold still during your Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam. Did you know that even the slightest movement during your exam can compromise your MRI picture? Motion can affect nearly every modality of radiology, but none so much as MRI. This is because the machine is taking images of your body in such detail, that when a patient moves even … Read More

Diagnosing Rotator Cuff Injuries

Ahhh…fall is soon here. This season means football, exercise and …shoulder injuries? That’s right, shoulder injuries. While this sport uses different muscles, they all involve repetitive use of the shoulder that can lead to potential shoulder instability (when the shoulder joint is loose and slides around too much in the socket). This repetitive motion can cause the shoulder ligaments to … Read More

MRI and Ionizing Radiation

In a report from MD Anderson related to oncology patient perceptions of the use of ionizing radiation in diagnostic imaging, 29 percent said MRI used it. This is incorrect. But, it does show a gap in “health literacy” and one of the reasons Capitol Imaging Services uses this blog, our website and our social media tools to better explain exams … Read More

Ten Reasons to Choose CIS

When you visit your doctor and you get a recommendation for an imaging exam, you’ll receive a referral order, also known as a script. Often, a doctor makes a recommendation on where you should go for the scan. Please be aware that you are not mandated to go where your doctor recommends on the script. You have the right to … Read More

Prostate Cancer and MRI

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The public’s understanding of the disease is increasing, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated prostate cancer information throughout the year. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and is a leading cause of cancer death in men, second only to lung cancer. … Read More

Breast MRI Imaging

Capitol Imaging Services shares information about an advanced imaging exam we perform as part of our portfolio of women’s imaging services: breast MRI. MRI of the breast is not a replacement for mammography or ultrasound imaging but rather a supplemental tool that has many important uses, including: Screening in women at high risk for breast cancer. Determining the extent of … Read More

MRI and Prostate Cancer

Much attention paid to multiparametric prostate MRI (mp-MRI) has focused on its ability to improve prostate cancer detection and diagnosis. However, prostate MRI has the potential to improve other aspects of prostate cancer care. Beyond guiding biopsy needles, prostate MRI can also aid prostate cancer staging, inform treatment planning and to monitor patients following treatment. At the Capitol Imaging Services … Read More

Claustrophobic MRI Success

For some of the population, confined spaces such as a crowded elevator or entering a small closet can create anxious, nervous or even terrified feelings. Recently, a woman chose a Capitol Imaging Services affiliate for her MRI exam. After her visit was completed, she reached back out to us with the following: “I am beyond claustrophobic” “I am writing in … Read More

Benefits of MR Enterography

MR enterography is a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed with a contrast material to produce detailed images of the small intestine. Physicians use MR enterography to identify and locate: the presence of and complications from Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases inflammation bleeding sources and vascular abnormalities tumors abscesses and fistulas bowel obstructions The benefits of … Read More

Save Money on Medical Imaging

Medical imaging is one area of healthcare in which people can truly save money. It’s due to one simple fact. Entities within medical imaging that are not owned by hospitals and health systems offer list prices and fees that are much, much less than behemoth hospitals. Numerous articles have been published on the subject, citing example after example of the … Read More

CareCredit Healthcare Credit Card

Capitol Imaging Services has produced a short presentation that highlights the important points of the CareCredit healthcare financing program. With CareCredit, people can have assistance in paying for healthcare expenses, such as imaging exams, and spread those payments over six months with no interest being charged. CareCredit can also be used to pay for deductibles and co-payments. View our video … Read More

Why Have a Breast MRI?

Guidelines from the American Cancer Society do include screening MRI with mammography for certain high-risk women. This option should be considered for the following: Women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation (BRCA1 is a gene, which, when altered, indicates an inherited susceptibility to cancer. BRCA2 is a gene, which, when altered, indicates an inherited susceptibility to breast and/or ovarian cancer.) Women … Read More

How Much Does an MRI Cost?

How Much Does an MRI Cost?

You Choose Where to have Your MRIMany patients think when the doctor says, “you need an MRI”, they have to use a hospital’s imaging department. That is simply not true. The patient always has the right to choose where he or she goes for their imaging, or any medical service for that matter. In choosing where to go, you may … Read More

What is a radiologist?

Radiologists are medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) who specialize in diagnosing and treating diseases and injuries using medical imaging techniques, such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) and ultrasound. Radiologists graduate from accredited medical schools, pass a licensing examination, and then go on to complete a residency … Read More

Ankle Joint Effusion

Ankle joint effusion

An ankle joint effusion, or swollen ankle, is typically the result of excess fluids gathering in the soft tissues surrounding the ankle joint.

Open MRI Near Me

Open MRI Near Me

If you’ve asking, “Does Capitol Imaging Services has an Open MRI near me?” With multiple locations across the gulf south, chances are we do!

MRI scan

MRI Scan

MRI ScanAn MRI scan is a noninvasive, safe way for healthcare professionals to examine a patient’s organs, tissues, and skeletal system. MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is diagnostic technology that uses a powerful magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed, 3D images of the organs and tissues of the body that can be viewed from many different angles. … Read More

What is a ganglioglioma?

A ganglioglioma is a rare type of brain tumor. Tumors are issues that grow more rapidly than normal. Gangliogliomas are types of brain tumors that are made of mixed groups of cells. A cell is the smallest, most basic unit of life, that is capable of existing by itself. Gangliogliomas are partly made of abnormal glial cells. Glial cells are … Read More

Don’t pay through the nose!

Capitol Imaging Services says do yourself a favor and breathe easier by choosing us. At one local hospital, according to Medicare, in 2013 the average submitted charge for an MRI without the use of a contrast dye was $3,533.25. The average submitted by Capitol Imaging Services? $1,254 Hospitals and health systems across the country are known for charging exorbitant fees for … Read More

Ankle break or a sprain: which is it?

It is estimated that more than one million people visit the emergency room annually with ankle injuries. Of these, the majority are sprains and fractures, and in many cases, it can be hard to tell the difference. While a fracture refers to a break in one or more of the ankle bones, a sprained ankle refers to damage to the … Read More

What causes neck pain?

In a recent article, neck pain was cited as being most commonly caused by mechanical stress to the neck, such as strains or sprains to the muscles and ligaments in the neck. Of course, there are many more causes and in the article, the following were highlighted: Poor posture The part of the neck that is particularly vulnerable to forward head posture … Read More

The difference between CT and MRI

CT (Computed Tomography) scans and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans both provide diagnostic images of the inside of your body. However, they accomplish this important task in very different ways. Here are a few key differences between CT and MRI scans. The use of radiation CT uses x-ray technology to produce diagnostic images. These x-rays require a small dose of … Read More

What is a PI-RADS score?

The tremendous interest in 3T multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), not only here in the U.S. but around the world, brought with it the challenge of how to standardize the reporting of prostate image analysis among radiologists around the globe. The European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) proposed a numeric system called the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System, or PI-RADS, for … Read More

What is a Pars fracture?

A person visited Capitol Imaging Services due to experiencing low back and right leg pain. They also had a previous medical history of lumbar spine surgery. In this particular instance, the medical provider recommended a Computerized Tomography (CT) scan that was part of a specialty nuclear medicine Image Merge study in which the two imaging techniques, CT and nuclear medicine, … Read More

What is radiculopathy?

If anyone has ever heard of this term in their discussion with their physician or health care provider, or has been examined/treated by a neurologist, Capitol Imaging Services would like to shed some light on what this condition is about. Radiculopathy is a disorder or disease of nerve roots that enter or leave the spine. Nerve roots are the lowest … Read More

How Does MRI Work?

MRI is short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is a procedure used in imaging centers to scan patients and determine the severity of certain injuries. An MRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the body. Common reasons people go in to get an MRI are for a sprained ankle or back pain. What should I do … Read More

What is facet arthrosis?

Each vertebra in the spinal column has a pair of facet joints, which acts as a flexible multi-directional hinge. The facet joints are located on the spine’s posterior column, or the rear of our backs. Facet arthrosis is a degenerative spinal condition like arthritis in which bony enlargements, called osteophytes or bone spurs, grow and enlarge the facet joints. Facet … Read More

The sounds of MRI

Those of us who work at Capitol Imaging Services are often asked by people, particularly those who have never had an MRI before, “I’ve heard that lots of different sounds are made by the machine. Is that true?” Yes, that is true. The sounds are made by the banging is the vibration of metal coils in the machine caused by … Read More

What is the function of an imaging test?

Diagnostic imaging lets doctors look inside your body for clues about a medical condition. A variety of machines and techniques can create pictures of the structures and activities inside your body. The type of imaging your doctor uses depends on your symptoms and the part of your body being examined. They include: X-rays CT scans Nuclear medicine scans MRI scans … Read More

Why is a radiologist’s report important?

As outlined by the American College of Radiology, there are over 15 components of a radiology report. The length of the report should have some relationship to the complexity and cost of the exam. It should have pertinent positive and negative findings and address any specific clinical concerns. All important findings need to be stated first and any incidental findings … Read More

The Skyra’s the limit

Would you be interested in having your MRI in a 3T ultra-high field system (a system most often demanded by medical subspecialists) in which the MRI’s shorter design (five feet, eight inches long) means that most exams can be done with your head OUTSIDE the system? If your answer is a resounding “YES!”, then our Capitol Imaging Services affiliate, Diagnostic … Read More

What is disc desiccation?

In some radiology test results for a diagnostic exam such as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine (i.e. the lower back), one condition that may be diagnosed and reported on by the radiologist is what is known as disc desiccation. Disc desiccation can be very painful. In short, disc desiccation is fluid loss in the cushion-like discs between … Read More

Why would I undergo a 3T MRI?

Capitol Imaging Services (CIS) offers some reasons that work to answer the question, “why would a doctor specify a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on a 3T ultra-high field scanner?” The increased magnet strength gives us many benefits at no additional expense. 3T MRI is an advanced scanner, producing clearer images and more accurate diagnoses. 3T MRI helps doctors see abnormalities … Read More

What is Cauda Equina Syndrome?

Cauda Equina Syndrome is a rare, but very serious condition affecting body areas such as the spine. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) defines this syndrome as “occurring when the nerve roots of the cauda equina are compressed and disrupt motor and sensory function to the lower extremities and bladder.” Patients need to be treated quickly as Cauda Equina … Read More

Shades of prostate cancer?

Diagnostic Imaging Services shares an informative presentation by the Prostate Cancer Research Institute regarding the different types of prostate cancer that often can result in confusion for the man receiving the diagnosis as well as his family and friends. Types of prostate cancer range from low-grade to advanced, and call for different types of treatment plans. Learn more about these … Read More