FINAL CLINICAL BLOG

It's hard to believe this semester is over. I have learned so much this semester and I am well on my way to earning my BS in CT/MRI. A goal that has been a long time in the making. Hope that everyone semester went as well as mine.

6TH CLINICAL BLOG

It has been very busy with the "flu epidemic. People get a sniffle and they have to run to the ER.
I recently had a 73 year old gentleman who came in for a follow up for a AAA. We had to scan him without only due to his elevated creatinine level. His AAA was enlargin since his last exam.

5TH CLINICAL BLOG

We recently started a new EMR at my clinical site. Oh my! It has been very stressful! I will be glad when we all get used to using it.

Recently, a 34 year old male OP with known connective tissue cancer presented to rule out METS. He came in for a CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis with contrast. The cancer started in his pelvis as connective tissue. He was diagnosis with pulmonary METS and an osteolytic mass in right pelvis measuring 20 cm which has increase since last exam.

4th Clinical Blog

Clinicals are going well. Gateway Hospital is a very busy place. The hospital is adding on a new addition that is to be open in approximately one year. Here is a case I had recently.

A 52 year old female presented to ED. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a right breast mastectomy in May. Since then her incisional wound, was draining yellowish colored pus. I scanned her using a routine chest protocol to see if she had a chest wall abscess. I scanned the pt with 70 cc of omnipaque 350 with a 40 second delay. I then processed the images into sagittal and coronals. The radiologist stated that she has an 8.0 x 5.5 cm seroma or possible abscess. He also felt that she has mets.

3rd Clinical Blog

It hasn't been quite as busy at clinical, but that is o.k, need a break from the craziness. Recently a 39 year old male presented as an outpatient. He had an ATV accident two days prior and was seen in the emergency room. He had plain x-rays that showed a sternal fracture. He had a round knot to the right of his sternum which is causing him great pain. I placed a radiopaque CT BB marker on the middle of the knot. I scanned him using the routine chest protocol. I used 60 cc of Omnipaque 350 and reformated them in sagittal and coronal images. The radiologist read it as a small ovoid fluid collection measuring 3.3 x 1.1 cm possibly a resolving hematoma or fat necrosis.

2nd clinical blog

There was a 19 year old male who presented to the ED. He had been having a sore throat for several days. He also had difficulty swallowing. The ER physician ordered a CT soft tissue neck with IV contrast. I questioned him to clear him for the dye. I injected 60 cc of Omnipaque 350 at 2.0 cc per second. After a 50 second delay, I scanned him. I then reformatted the images into sagittal and coronal view for the radiologist. The radiologist read the images off PACS as a 3.5 cm diameter right tonsillar abscess with right reactive jugular adenopathy.

1st few weeks clinical

It has been a little hectic at clinicals. I have been very busy at my clinical site, Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Evansville, IN. I had a couple of interesting cases.

First interesting case I had was an 86 year old white male from ED complaining of right lower quadrant and groin pain. Patient had an inguinal hernia repair approximately 2 weeks prior. Patient stated the pain medications made him constipated and was straining to have a bowel movement, when a large knot appeared in his right groin area. I scanned patient axially using the standard abdomen and pelvis protocol from just above the top of the diaphragm to the bottom the pelvis, administering 85cc of Omnipaque 350. I then reformatted the images into coronals and sagittals. The radiologist read the report as 5 x 11 cm fluid collection in right inguinal canal. It may represent simple fluid or seroma although difficult to exclude abscess. No bowel herniation seen.





Then I had a 56 year old white female who came in through the ED with shortness of breath and chest pain. She has a family history of pulmonary emboli, her mother and brother have both had them. I scanned the patient axially through her entire lung field, administering 100 cc of Omnipaque 350. I also reformatted them in sagittal and coronal MIPs. The radiologist read the exam as acute bilateral PE, right greater than left.

Let me Introduce Myself

Hello! My name is Joanna Howard. I am a 34 year old mother of two wonderful little girls; 8 and 2. I have want to go back to school and get my Bachelors degree for almost 1o years. This has not really been possible to now. I have been a CT Tech for 12 years. I recently became registered in CT. It has been a long time coming, but now I think I'm ready to prove I can to it for myself and to my girls. Anything is possible when you set your mind to it!!