Alphabetical List of Explanations and Preparations for Exams and Procedures
Find preparation instructions for each study and procedure at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center. For any study, if your doctor gave you an order, please bring it with you.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 310-423-8000.
- Breast ultrasound
- Dynamic pelvic MRI
- Evacuation proctogram (defecography)
- Mammography
- Screening mammogram
- Diagnostic mammogram
- Breast MRI
- Breast biopsies
- Ultrasound needle-core biopsy (vacuum assisted)
- Stereotactic needle-core biopsy (vacuum assisted)
- MR-guided breast needle-core biopsy (vacuum assisted)
- Breast needle localization
- MR-guided breast needle localization
- Ultrasound-guided breast needle localization
- Mammographic-guided breast needle localization
- Cardiac MRI
- Coronary calcium scan
- Coronary CT angiography
- Kyphoplasty / Vertebroplasty (vertebral or spinal compression fracture management; multiple myeloma spine fracture treatment)
- Bone density scan
- CT abdomen
- CT abdomen and pelvis
- CT angiography (abdomen, kidneys, legs)
- CT angiography (heart)
- CT angiography (brain/neck)
- CT cervical spine (neck)
- CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy)
- Coronary calcium scan
- CT dentascan
- Dual source CT for gout
- CT enterography
- CT facial bones
- CT guided biopsy (organ; for musculoskeletal, see musculoskeletal below)
- CT head/brain
- CT chest
- CT high-resolution chest
- CT internal auditory canal
- CT lumbar spine
- CT lung screening
- CT mandible/maxilla
- CT mastoid bones
- CT myelogram
- CT neck
- CT pelvis and hip bone
- CT skull base, facial bones and sinuses
- CT sinus
- CT temporal bones
- CT thoracic spine
- Abdomen X-ray
- Barium enema with air contrast
- Barium enema
- Barium swallow: see Esophagram
- CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy)
- Dynamic pelvic MRI
- Esophagram (barium swallow)
- Evacuation proctogram (defecography)
- Fistulagram - abdominal
- Gastric emptying
- Intravenous pyelogram
- Pouchography
- Retrograde voiding cystourethrogram
- Sitz marker study
- Upper GI tract series or study
- Upper GI with small bowel examination
- Vaginography
- Video swallow study
- Voiding cystourethrogram
- Aneurysm coiling
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization
- Balloon occlusion test
- Carotid angioplasty/stenting
- Cisternogram
- Discogram
- Epidural steroid injection
- Facet block (selective nerve root block)
- Myelogram
- Cerebral tumor embolization
- Vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty (spinal, vertebral or compression fracture treatment/multiple myeloma fracture treatment)
- Ablations
- Cryoablation
- Ethanol ablation
- Microwave ablation
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Chemoembolization (TACE: transarterial chemo embolization; and HACE: hepatic arterial chemo embolization)
- Internal radiation therapy for the liver (radioembolization)
- Angiography
- Biopsies:
- General ultrasound-guided biopsy
- Liver biopsy (ultrasound-guided)
- Breast needle localization (for specific types, please look under Breast Imaging)
- Chemoembolization
- Fistulagram - dialysis
- Radiofrequency ablation - bone, lung, liver or renal (kidney)
- Internal radiation therapy for the liver (radioembolization)
- Functional MRI of the brain
- MRI abdomen
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis with cholangiogram
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis with elastography
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis with Feraheme
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis with MRCP
- MRI abdomen and/or pelvis with deluxe screening
- MRI adrenal gland diagnostics
- MRI and anesthesia
- MR angiography (MRA)
- MRI arm
- MRI brain (also MRI spectroscopy - brain)
- MRI brain with fiducials
- MRI breast
- MR guided breast biopsy
- MR guided breast needle localization
- MRI cardiac (MRI/MRA; cardiomyopathy/myocarditis, left ventricle function and viability, specific Q and congenital studies)
- MRI cardiac imaging with stress (stress perfusion — vasodilator, pharmacologic): same preps as for stress myocardial perfusion SPECT/PET
- MRI cervical spine
- MRI chest
- MRI Defecography
- Head MRI MRA MRV
- MRI knee
- MRI liver with Spectroscopy
- MRI lower extremities (legs)
- MRI lumbar spine
- MR cholangiogram
- MR enterography
- Myelogram
- MRI neck
- MRI pancreas
- MRI pelvis
- MRI penis and scrotum
- MRI pituitary
- MRI prostate (MRI spectroscopy has same prep)
- MRI shoulder
- MRI spine: cervical, lumbar or thoracic
- Spine survey (MRI) for ankylosing spondylitis
- MRI thoracic spine
- MRI thyroid and/or parathyroid
- Arthrograms
- Chest, lower extremity, spine, and upper extremity X-rays
- Dual source CT for gout
- CT-guided bone biopsy
- CT-guided soft-tissue biopsy
- Joint injections/aspirations, including:
- Sacroiliac injections
- Botox injections for peripheral nerve entrapment
- Calcific tendonitis aspirations
- Perineural injections for pain relief
- Platelet rich plasma therapy
- Spine survey (MRI) for anklosing spondylitis
- Viscosupplementation (for osteoarthritis)
Please visit the Nuclear Medicine page for information about nuclear neurological studies.
- Stress myocardial perfusion SPECT/PET (exercise stress, pharmacological stress testing [thallium, sestamibi], vasodilator stress [adenosine, regadenoson], dobutamine stress test; all have the same preps, although the length of the study varies)
- Stress myocardial perfusion PET (rubidium, pharmacological stress)
- Myocardial viability PET (FDG)
- PET sarcoidosis: a strict 36-hour prep is required. Our Nuclear Medicine department will call to explain the exam and preparation.
- Resting wall motion/MUGA (LVEF and RVEF): no preparations
- Pyrophosphate (PYP) imaging: no preparations
- MIBG imaging: Our Nuclear Medicine department will call to explain the exam and preparation.
- Amyvid PET scan (for Alzheimer's disease)
- Bone density scan (QDR)
- Bone scan
- Brain SPECT scan
- Ceretec brain SPECT
- Cisternogram
- DaTscan (for Parkinsonian syndromes)
- FDG-PET scan
- Gallium scan
- Gastric emptying
- Hepatobiliary (gallbladder) scan
- I-123 MIBG scan (Neuroendocrine tumors)
- Lymphoscintigraphy
- Nuclear lung scan
- Nuclear renal scan
- PET brain
- PET/CT scans
- PET/MRI
- Renal scan (with or without captopril)
- Rubidium PET (myocardial perfusion PET)
- Sestamibi SPECT (parathyroid)
- Thyroid uptake and scan
Please visit our PET-CT page for information about PET-CT studies.
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Abdominal ultrasound with Doppler
- Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound
- Breast ultrasound
- Hysterosonogram (preparation instructions on general ultrasound page)
- Pelvis ultrasound
- Prostate ultrasound (transrectal ultrasound)
- Renal ultrasound (kidney)
- Testicular ultrasound
- Thyroid ultrasound
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- Ultrasound-guided biopsy
- Ultrasound-guided aspiration: thoracentesis/paracentesis
- Ultrasound-guided liver biopsy
- Ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy
- Ultrasound-guided thyroid biopsy
- Abdominal aorta ultrasound (screening)
- Ankle/brachial indices
- Aorta iliac ultrasound
- Arterial duplex - legs
- Bypass graft - legs
- Carotid duplex
- Digital evaluation
- Doppler Allen's test (ultrasound)
- EVAR: ultrasound of aorta after endovascular repair of aortic aneurysm
- Femoral vascular ultrasound
- Fistula/graft evaluation
- Inferior vena cava and iliac veins
- Intraoperative duplex
- Popliteal vascular ultrasound
- Pseudoaneurysm
- Renal artery stenosis
- Renal transplant duplex
- Saphenous vein mapping
- Steal (dialysis access and arm/hand circulation)
- Thoracic outlet
- Transcranial imaging
- Upper extremity arterial
- Upper extremity DVT
- Upper extremity vein mapping
- Varicose vein surgery pre-op survey
- Varicose vein survey post-op evaluation
- Vasospasm digital
- Venous duplex scan - legs
- Venous insufficiency / swelling
- Visceral vascular ultrasound
- Abdomen X-ray
- Barium enema with air contrast
- Barium enema
- Bone density scan
- Barium swallow: see esophagram
- Chest, lower extremity, spine, and upper extremity X-rays
- Esophagram (barium swallow)
- Evacuation proctogram (defecography)
- Fistulagram (abdominal)
- Hysterosalpingogram
- Intravenous pyelogram
- Pouchography
- Retrograde voiding cystourethrogram
- Sitz marker study
- Spine X-ray
- Upper extremity X-ray
- Upper GI tract study
- Upper GI with small bowel examination
- Video swallow study
- Voiding cystourethrogram