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Ultrasound tests use sound waves to create images of the internal organs. Abdominal ultrasounds are frequently ordered to evaluate the organs of the abdomen which include the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, spleen, and vessels such as the aorta and IVC Below are some common indications for an abdominal ultrasound.

• Look for liver cirrhosis, infection and tumors.
• Evaluate the gallbladder for stones, inflammation (cholecystitis) for polyps or tumors of the gallbladder that may cause abdominal pain.
  
• Evaluate parts of the pancreas that are seen by ultrasound for large tumors and inflammation.
• Look for kidney stones, blockages (hydronephrosis), tumors, cysts which can cause abdominal pain.
• Look for an enlarged spleen, tumors or cysts of the spleen.
• Rule out abdominal aortic aneurysms (ballooning of the aorta).
• Check for fluid in the abdomen which can be seen in cirrhosis, infection or injury.

Abdominal ultrasounds are also used to look for pyloric stenosis in young infants (causes projectile vomiting). It is used as a guide to biopsy tumors of the liver, kidneys and other nearby tissues.

Below is a brief outline of the procedure.

1. You will be asked to fast for at least 6 hours (so the gallbladder is full - it empties if you eat before the test and makes it very hard to evaluate).
2. After you sign in, you'll be taken to the ultrasound room.
3. An ultrasound technician will perform the test.
4. Once you enter the room, you will lie down on a bed/gurney.
5. The technologist will ask you to lift up your clothing, exposing your stomach.
6. He or she will place a a warmed gel solution over the skin.
7. The technologist will use an ultrasound probe and glide it over your abdomen while taking pictures.
8. You may be asked to sit up for a part of the test to get better images of the gallbladder or kidneys.
9. The technologist may ask the Radiologist doctor to review the scan before you leave.
10. An official report is generated by the doctor in about 24-48 hours.

If you are insured abdominal ultrasounds are covered. However, for uninsured patients these tests can be quite expensive. You can expect to pay anywhere between $250 and $800 for this test.

Have you had an Abdominal ultrasound? What was it like? Please leave your comments below

MRA stands for Magnetic Resonance Angiography. It is an MRI technique that specifically evaluates vessels such as arteries. Brain MRAs evaluate the vessels of the brain to look for aneurysms, vascular malformations such as AVMs, narrowing and blockage of the vessels of the brain, among others. (Read about MRI scans and MRI scans of the brain.)

Brain MRAs are typically ordered for many different symptoms to exclude an aneurysm or vascular malformation, or search for a source of bleed. They are also used during the evaluation of stroke to detect blockages and narrowing of the arteries that feed the brain. Below are a few common diagnoses that brain MRAs can pick up.

Aneurysm - Aneurysms are ballooning of vessels that risk rupturing. If blood leaks from the aneurysm patients describe the headache as a thunderclap and sharp/shooting pains. Patients can also have stroke-like symptoms with weakness, slurred speech and confusion. MRAs can detect most aneurysms though if the aneurysm is small or has collapsed, it may not be identified by this study.

AVM - AVM stands for arteriovenous malformation. This is essentially a nest of abnormal vessels which grows in the brain. The vessels of AVMs are like "varicose veins" with thin walls but are subjected to high pressure blood flow, so risk rupture, much like an aneurysm. They can also act like tumors in that if large enough they compress nearby brain tissue. AVMs can also form aneurysms in or near them. Patients will experience headaches, stroke-like symptoms or seizures.

Stroke - Also known as a "brain attack", stroke refers to a blocked artery that deprives a part of the brain of blood (and therefore oxygen). This part of the brain loses it function and patients present with weakness, slurred speech, difficulty walking and on occasion, headaches. MRAs evaluate the extent of atherosclerosis and can detect any significant blockages.

An MRA of the brain will evaluate:

Internal Carotid Arteries

The carotid vessels arise from the aorta in the chest and travel up the neck along both sides. The vessels splits in the neck with the "internal" segments feeding roughly the front 2/3 of brain tissue.

Basilar Artery

The basilar artery is made up by two vertebral arteries which arise from vessels in the chest and travel up along both sides of the neck near the spine. This vessel feeds the brain stem and approximately the back 1/3 of the brain.

Circle of Willis

Brain matter

The white and gray matter of the brain are partially seen. Parts of the pituitary gland, optic nerves and upper brain stem are also evaluated.

Your Brain MRA Scan

A brain MRA generally takes about 10 minutes or so to complete. If you are going for one, wear loose comfortable clothing and remember to remove all metal (jewelry, phones, rings, etc) before going into the MRI scan room.  This test is occasionally done with IV MRI contrast.

If you're insured, you may need to have your test authorized (approved) by your insurance company first. If you're uninsured and need to look up prices and buy an MRA scan of the brain, you can use our website to look up MRA scan costs and then purchase with your credit card.

Have you had a Brain MRA scan? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

When we first launched our site we knew that gaining the trust and confidence of health care consumers would be an important on-going task. Having relevant, meaningful blog posts and keeping the site safe and secure have always been a top priority. One of the key leading certifications for health care websites is offered by the Health on the Net Foundation, based in Geneva Switzerland:

The Health On the Net Foundation (HON) promotes and guides the deployment of useful and reliable online health information, and its appropriate and efficient use. Created in 1995, HON is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. For twelve years, HON has focused on the essential question of the provision of health information to citizens, information that respects ethical standards. To cope with the unprecedented volume of health care information available on the Net, the HONcode of conduct offers a multi-stakeholder consensus on standards to protect citizens from misleading health information.

We recently received HON certification after satisfying all of the requirements of the HON code of ethics and principles. We're excited to announce our achievement and will display the HON code throughout our site. Of course, we won't stop here. We'll continue to look hard at our site and look for ways to grow your trust and confidence in us and make shopping for Radiology tests such as MRI scans, CT scans, Ultrasounds, X-rays easy and safe.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

We're adding nearly 600 additional Radiology centers throughout the U.S to our site over the next few weeks. It is a monumental task so please pardon our mess as we upgrade and clean up bugs!

You'll be able to shop and buy your Radiology tests from over 1500 imaging facilities. Each Radiology facility is accredited by the ACR, features American Board of Radiology certified Radiologists and has undergone a rigorous selection process.

Trying to get MRI scan and cost of CT scans is challenging. Even when you have the information, it's not clear what exactly you might be paying for. Does the price include contrast? What about the Radiology report? And what if you need additional testing? This post will be a work in progress, but I hope it sheds some light on what MRI and CT scan costs include and don't include...

Prices vary by body part and medical condition

Most MRI and CT scan exams each have different prices. For example, an MRI of the Brain may not cost the same as an MRI of the Knee. Your test might also be two different tests bundled into one order. A CT scan to look for kidney stones is actually two scans - a CT scan of the Abdomen and a CT scan of the Pelvis.

Price will change if you are going to have contrast/dye

Pricing medical procedures using a multi-tier cost scheme is very common in medicine. For example, most MRI and CT scan be done in three different ways. This changes the cost of the scan.  In order of increasing cost they are:

• Without contrast - images are taken without administering any IV contrast/dye.
• With contrast - images are taken only after the IV contrast is given.
• With and without contrast - images are taken before the IV contrast is given and then again after wards.

Some facilities (particularly hospitals) will also charge for the actual performance of placing the IV. For uninsured patients this cost is usually bundled into the price of the rest of the scan as opposed to a separate charge.

Many CT scan exams are done with IV contrast. IV contrast for MRI scans is usually given if you have had surgery to the area begin scanned, history of cancer or if looking for infection. Even for those tests that are ordered without contrast, sometimes during the scan the Radiologist may see something "unusual" or detect a tumor or infection and then ask for the contrast to be given. 

Note, there is no additional cost if you get oral contrast to drink. That is, if you are given oral contrast for a CT scan of the Abdomen and do not receive the IV contrast it is considered a CT Scan of the Abdomen without contrast.

The Radiology report is included

MRI and CT scan costs include the official Radiologist interpretation. This includes comparing to older scans even if done at another hospital or imaging center. Your doctor receives a copy of the report.

Copies of the CD or films

Sometimes you'll be asked to take a CD or films of your MRI or CT scan to your doctor to review. Most facilities will give you a copy, if requested, free of charge.

Call back for additional images may not be included

You won't be charged for call backs if due to technical issues or if you were unable to complete the exam because of  pain or claustrophobia. However, if it is for "more testing", then yes, there will be additional costs.

Simplifying it for you...

As you can see it is hard to pin down the actual cost of an MRI or CT scan. Unfortunately, much of healthcare works this way.

We've taken a different approach with our Radiology shopping site and are trying to simplify MRI and CT scan prices for you. Our prices include the test and report. There are no extra charges for contrast/dye injections. We think this is a good first step in reforming how medical services are priced and purchased. We hope you do too. 

Do you have any suggestions for us? Please leave your comments below: