Fluoroscopy

Fluoroscopy services used for specialized exams such as MRI arthrograms and pain injections of the hip and back also are available at Cabell Huntington Hospital, however, fluoroscopy and other special procedure require scheduled appointment times.

Fluoroscopy uses a continuous low-intensity X-ray beam to produce moving pictures of the part of your body being examined. These pictures show up on a video screen, much like a live X-ray movie. For example, fluoroscopy can show your doctor how blood is flowing through your arteries or the way food is traveling through your digestive system. Sometimes, fluoroscopy is used to help position a catheter or needle for a procedure, assist in realigning a broken bone, evaluate the urinary tract or study the way joints move.

What to expect during your test or treatment

Your technologist will take you to an imaging suite where the pictures will be taken, and you will be asked to change into a hospital gown.

Your technologist will position you as comfortable as possible on the X-ray table. You may be standing for some exams.

You may be given an oral contrast material called barium to drink during your test. In some cases, this contrast is administered rectally, depending on the test ordered.

An IV needle may be inserted into a vein in your arm. A special dye, called a contrast material, may be injected into the IV needle so that the area being examined can be seen in greater detail. You may briefly feel a warm sensation as the contrast material begins to circulate into your body.

A special X-ray scanner will be used to produce moving pictures of the area being examined by sending a low beam X-ray through your body to a fluorescent plate on the other side.

If you find it uncomfortable to lie still during the test, please let us know if there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable.

All fluoroscopy exams must be scheduled. Please call 304.526.2125 for scheduling.