Imaging Services

Bedford Memorial Hospital has some of the most advanced imaging technologies available. So, when your doctor prescribes an imaging procedure to diagnose a health issue, there is no need to travel to a larger hospital. You can count on a quality scan that will help your physician provide the treatment you need. Whether it’s a regular screening like a bone density scan or an advanced CT scan, we’re here to give you the care you need, close to home.

Bone Density Testing

Bone density is a screening test that evaluates your bones’ health
Bone density allows your doctor to determine how to prevent disease or treat your bones
The exam is quick and easy, only taking about 30 minutes

Osteoporosis: the Silent Disease

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease in which bones become fragile and are more likely to break.
If not treated, osteoporosis progresses painlessly until bones break. Women are at higher risk for osteoporosis. Of the 44 million Americans with osteoporosis, 80 percent are women. Talk to your doctor today about your bone health. Call Bedford Memorial Hospital at 540-587-7806 to make a bone density appointment.

CT Scan

A computed tomography scan uses X-rays to make detailed pictures of structures inside the
body. It can be used to study any body organ, such as the liver, pancreas, intestines, kidneys,
adrenal glands, lungs, and heart, even blood vessels, bones, and the spinal cord.

MRI

Mobile MRI interior Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. In many cases, MRI gives information that cannot be seen on other scans like X-rays.

Mammography

A mammogram is a radiograph of breast tissue. It is an effective, non-invasive means of examining the breast, used commonly to search for breast cancer. Cancer is not preventable, but early detection leads to a much higher chance of recovery and lowers the mortality rate from this disease.

Is it Time for Your Mammogram?

Good health is important for all women in our community, and we would like to take thisopportunity to remind you that:

All women are at risk for breast cancer – even those who have no family history of the disease
The two greatest risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older
Survival rates are highest for women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, when the cancer is small and has not spread
Getting annual mammograms beginning at age 40 is the best tool available for early
detection

The American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines suggest:

Annual mammograms starting at age 40
Clinical exam annually at age 40 and over
Clinical exam every three years during your 20s and 30s
Breast self-exam is an option beginning at age 20

Early diagnosis is key when it comes to surviving breast cancer.

That’s why a simple, 15-minute procedure, called a mammogram, should be performed each year. Mammograms can show abnormalities too small to be detected by self-exam.

And the earlier a change in the breast is detected, the greater the chance for cure. At Bedford Memorial Hospital, we provide the convenience of screening mammograms in a newly remodeled suite, which features private dressing areas. And with the community’s only full-time radiologist dedicated to mammography imaging and women’s breast health, you can now receive the results of your screening mammogram within just 48 hours. So if you are age 40 or over, or 35 and have a family/personal history of breast cancer, call 587-3355 to schedule your mammogram. It may be the most important call of the day.

Just for Me Program

The Just for Me Program is aimed at encouraging women 40-years-old who never had a mammogram to make an appointment, If a women has either inadequate or no insurance, she will receive the procedure free of charge.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of your soft tissue organs. Ultrasound images at Bedford are recorded digitally and read by the radiologist. Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is commonly called sonography or ultrasonography. There are no known harmful effects associated with the medical use of sonography. A typical sonogram requires fewer than 30 minutes. Some exams do require preparation prior to the ultrasound so make sure to ask you doctor or call the imaging department for information about your specific exam. Some types of ultrasounds performed at Bedford are:

Pelvic Ultrasounds

Information obtained from a manual pelvic exam alone may be incomplete. With a pelvic sonogram, the uterus and ovaries are visualized. The sonogram may help explain findings from the manual exam or provide additional information.

Abdominal Ultrasounds

In an abdominal examination, ultrasound produces images of the major organs, including the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and large blood vessels. Your doctor will probably tell you to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum for 8 hours prior to the exam This is because these actions increase the amount of abdominal gas, which may alter blood flow in upper abdominal organs, and cause the gallbladder to contract, preventing an adequate ultrasound examination. There are many reasons for examining the abdomen with ultrasound. Among the more common reasons are

To look for causes of upper abdominal pain, including gallstones, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, kidney stones, or blockage in blood vessels of the intestines;
To look for causes of lower abdominal pain, including appendicitis, inflammation of the small and large intestines, and hernias;
To look for abnormalities that may be present in the abdominal organs, such as masses or enlargements in the spleen or liver;
To evaluate the nature of a mass that may have been felt by the examining doctor or seen on other radiologic exams;
To evaluate for enlargement of the liver or spleen.
To determine the cause of kidney failure, such as kidney disease, obstruction of the kidneys, or blockage of the kidneys' blood vessels;
To evaluate for the cause of jaundice or abnormal liver enzymes;
To look for enlargements (aneurysms) of the abdominal aorta; and
To evaluate for problems of flow in the blood vessels of the various abdominal organs.

Obstetrics Ultrasounds

The most common reason for having an obstetric ultrasound examination is to help your doctor determine when your baby is due or to make sure your baby is growing as it should. Your doctor may also want an ultrasound examination to determine the baby's position or to see if you are carrying more than one baby. With an ultrasound examination, the amount of fluid around your baby can be seen. Ultrasonography also may be used to detect some birth defects. Your baby's heartbeat and movement of his or her body, arms, and legs can be seen using ultrasound, depending on the age of the baby. Your baby can be seen moving during an ultrasound examination many weeks before you can feel movement. Sometimes it is possible to see the sex of the baby and sometimes it is not. If your baby is lying in an inconvenient position, the baby's sex cannot be determined.

Bedford Memorial Hospital has some of the most advanced computerized diagnostic radiography
imaging technologies available. So, when your doctor prescribes an imaging procedure to diagnose a health issue, there is no need to travel to a larger hospital. You can count on a quality
scan that will help your physician provide the treatment you need. Whether it’s a regular screening like a bone density scan or an advanced CT scan, we’re here to give you the care you
need, close to home.