Wondering if MedScanMan is still on duty? :o)

constantprayer

I've been reading your posts and it seems that you are going to be very popular around here! Thanks for giving your time to answer so many questions. If you have time I was wondering if you might define a few terms for me. I am scheduled to have my right kidney removed on August 20th and I am curious about a few of the terms on my MRI and Xray. Thanks in advance!

1. What does heterogeneous mass mean?
2. Lesion is T1 isointense and a central area of T2 hyperintensity?
3. Renal vein appears to be patent?
4. Inferior vena cava is patent?

Then on Xray -

1. What does Aorta is mildly ectatic mean?
2. And last but not least... mild hypertrophic changes are present in the thoracic spine?

I know you are not a doctor, but you seem to know your stuff. All these terms are greek to me.

Again... thanks so much.

MedScanMan

Hi
The chest x-ray is simple. Mildly ectatic just means dilated a bit. I think when it gets close to 3 cm the Radiologist will throw that in to the report. To give you an idea, in the abdomen the aorta is usually about 2-21/2 cm and when it gets larger they start calling it an aneurysm. They follow it until it gets to be 5cm and then it's ready for surgery or stent. After 5cm the worry is that you'll be at a baseball game it will pop like a balloon and you're down in seconds. I have found dozens of these on Cat Scans of the abdomen and pelvis as an incidental finding when looking for everything but. I've seen them at 7cm and called the attending physician before the patient was even off of my scanner. Mild hypertrophic changes just means you're over 40. Just kidding. Most of us have bulging discs, boney spurs, a little spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canal made by the vertebrae stacking on top of each other where the spinal cord runs)....our bones get old and it shows on the x-ray. He dictates it because he sees it. If it weren't "mild" he would have suggested you have an MRI of your thoracic spine.....what I'm trying to say is it's no big deal.

As for the other report....are we talking MRI or MRA? T1 and T2 are just names that only someone in MRI would understand. I'd have to go into physics and you don't want that. Simply stated when I do a knee.....I do a T1 sagittal T2 sagittal Stir Sagittal T1 coronal T2 coronal and a special view in fast spin echo for the ACL. I told you...you wouldn't want to know. I once asked a physics professor from the University of Wisconsin who was lecturing at a program I took in Milwaukee many years ago when I was cross training from CT to MRI whether there was any danger at all to the patients having MRI scans because of what we do with the magnet. He said "there are no known effects on human tissue during an MRI scan". I said has there been any testing done? He said no. I said when will they test? He said when MRI Technologists start dying all over the country.....maybe we'll test. Let me know if the test was an MRI or MRA and I'll try to help you.

Jeff

constantprayer

MedScanMan said:

Hi
The chest x-ray is simple. Mildly ectatic just means dilated a bit. I think when it gets close to 3 cm the Radiologist will throw that in to the report. To give you an idea, in the abdomen the aorta is usually about 2-21/2 cm and when it gets larger they start calling it an aneurysm. They follow it until it gets to be 5cm and then it's ready for surgery or stent. After 5cm the worry is that you'll be at a baseball game it will pop like a balloon and you're down in seconds. I have found dozens of these on Cat Scans of the abdomen and pelvis as an incidental finding when looking for everything but. I've seen them at 7cm and called the attending physician before the patient was even off of my scanner. Mild hypertrophic changes just means you're over 40. Just kidding. Most of us have bulging discs, boney spurs, a little spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canal made by the vertebrae stacking on top of each other where the spinal cord runs)....our bones get old and it shows on the x-ray. He dictates it because he sees it. If it weren't "mild" he would have suggested you have an MRI of your thoracic spine.....what I'm trying to say is it's no big deal.

As for the other report....are we talking MRI or MRA? T1 and T2 are just names that only someone in MRI would understand. I'd have to go into physics and you don't want that. Simply stated when I do a knee.....I do a T1 sagittal T2 sagittal Stir Sagittal T1 coronal T2 coronal and a special view in fast spin echo for the ACL. I told you...you wouldn't want to know. I once asked a physics professor from the University of Wisconsin who was lecturing at a program I took in Milwaukee many years ago when I was cross training from CT to MRI whether there was any danger at all to the patients having MRI scans because of what we do with the magnet. He said "there are no known effects on human tissue during an MRI scan". I said has there been any testing done? He said no. I said when will they test? He said when MRI Technologists start dying all over the country.....maybe we'll test. Let me know if the test was an MRI or MRA and I'll try to help you.

Jeff

Thanks for the quick reply
I appreciate your response.

I remember laughing when I read the Xray report because it seemed like it said... "body shows signs of aging".

In answer to your question... it was an MRI. The mass is in the upper pole of right kidney - 4.4 x 4.0 x 4.7.

I gather the T1 and T2 are techie terms for those who understand MRI speak. )

Thanks again.

MedScanMan

constantprayer said:

Thanks for the quick reply
I appreciate your response.

I remember laughing when I read the Xray report because it seemed like it said... "body shows signs of aging".

In answer to your question... it was an MRI. The mass is in the upper pole of right kidney - 4.4 x 4.0 x 4.7.

I gather the T1 and T2 are techie terms for those who understand MRI speak. )

Thanks again.

The part you'll get
The report reading that the renal artery and vena cava are "patent" just means that they're open and blood is flowing. Not going to get in to the T1 T2 explanation......it would make me dizzy. Hope that all helped you.

Jeff

constantprayer

MedScanMan said:

The part you'll get
The report reading that the renal artery and vena cava are "patent" just means that they're open and blood is flowing. Not going to get in to the T1 T2 explanation......it would make me dizzy. Hope that all helped you.

Jeff

Thanks
MedScanMan ~ I appreciate your answers. No need to worry about the T1 T2 explanation... it would probably sprain my brain anyway.

I have found this site to be a real blessing. Reading about other people's experiences helps a lot.

Since my diagnosis I have tried to learn something new everyday. Somehow it makes me feel better if I can learn about what is happening to me.

It also helps to add a little humor into the mix. Thanks again and have a great weekend.