Exam Preparations

Angioplasty and Vascular Stenting
  • Tell your doctor what medications you are currently taking and about any allergies you have, especially to the contrast material that may be used to enhance x-ray images
  • Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before your procedure
  • Plan for an overnight at the hospital, and have someone drive you home when you are ready to leave
  • If you are on blood thinning medication such as Coumadin, you should check with the interventional radiologist about which medications you should take

                                                                                                                           

Angiography
  • If you are to have a sedative before the procedure, you may be asked not to eat or drink anything (except sips of water to take pills) for four to eight hours ahead of time.

 

Biopsy
  • Advise the physician if you are taking aspirin or blood thinners
  • You may want to have a relative or friend present to lend support, and also to drive you home afterwards

 

Catheter Embolization
  • Advise the interventional radiologist if you are taking aspirin or any blood thinning medications.
  • You will be admitted to the hospital the morning of the embolization and examined by the radiologist before the procedure begins.
  • Do not eat or drink after midnight the morning before the procedure, unless specifically instructed otherwise.

 


Chemoembolization
  • Advise the interventional radiologist if you are taking any medications that affect clotting such as aspirin or blood thinners.
  • You will be admitted to the hospital the day before or the morning of the procedure.

 

Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)
  • Depending on the part of the body to be examined, you may be asked to take only clear liquids by mouth
  • You will have to remove any jewelry, hair clips, dentures
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure

 

Detachable Coil Embolization
  • Advise the interventional radiologist of all medication you are taking regularly
  • Advise the interventional radiologist of any allergies you may have

 

MR Angiography (MRA)
  • Inform your technologist if you have any of the following:  heart pacemaker, intrauterine device, vascular access port, metal plate, or pins, screws or staples, ever had a bullet in your body, ever worked with metals, or had joint replacement, fillings in your teeth
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • Remove all hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any dental work that can be taken out, wigs

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Abdomen
  • Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing
  • NPO 3 hours before exam
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any removable dental work
  • Avoid clothing with zippers and snaps

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Body
  • Avoid clothing with zippers and snaps
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and removable dental work
  • NPO 3 hours before exam

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Chest
  • Avoid clothing with a zipper, snap, or jewelry
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • NPO 3 hours before exam

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Head without contrast
  • Remove earrings, eyeglasses, dentures, dental implants or hairpins

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Head with contrast
  • Remove earrings, eyeglasses, dentures, dental implants or hairpins
  • Inform the radiologist of any allergies or reaction to medicine
  • If you are pregnant, you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • Inform the radiologist if you have asthma, multiple myeloma or any disorder of the heart, kidneys or thyroid gland
  • NPO 3 hours before exam

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Spine without contrast
  • Remove jewelry, eyeglasses, dentures, hairpins

 

Computed Tomography (CT) - Spine with contrast
  • Remove jewelry, eyeglasses, dentures, hairpins
  • Inform the radiologist if you have a history of allergic reactions especially to iodine, heart disease, asthma, diabetes or thyroid problems
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • NPO 3 hours before exam

 

Mammography
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the procedure
  • Do not wear deodorant, talcum powder, or lotion under your arms or on you breasts on the day of your exam
  • Remove all jewelry above the waist
  • If possible, obtain prior mammograms and make them available to the radiologist at the time of the current exam

 

MR Angiography (MRA)
  • Inform the technologist or physician if you have a heart pacemaker, intrauterine device, vascular access ort, metal plate, or pins, screws or staples.  Also whether you have ever had a bullet in your body, worked with metals, or had a joint replacement
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any dental work that can be taken out
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the exam

 

MR Imaging (MRI) - Body
  • Inform the technologist if you have a prosthetic hip, heart pacemaker, implanted port, infusion catheter, intrauterine device, or any metal plates, pins, screws, surgical staples.  Also if you have ever had a bullet or shrapnel in your body or ever worked with metal
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and removable dental work
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the exam

 

Cardiac MRI (MRI of the Heart, Great Vessels and Adjacent Structures)
  • Inform the technologist if you have a heart pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, implanted port, infusion catheter, intrauterine device, metal plates, pins, screws or surgical staples in your body.  Also if you have ever had a bullet or shrapnel in your body, or ever worked with metal
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the exam

 
MR Imaging (MRI) - Head
  • Inform the technologist if you have a heart pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, implanted port, infusion catheter, intrauterine device, metal plates, pins, screws or surgical staples in your body.  Also if you have ever had a bullet or shrapnel in your body, or ever worked with metal.
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any removable dental work.
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the exam.

 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Spine
  • Inform the technologist if you have a heart pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, implanted port, infusion catheter, intrauterine device, metal plates, pins, screws or surgical staples in your body.  Also if you have ever had a bullet or shrapnel in your body, or ever worked with metal.
  • Remove hairpins, jewelry, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and any removable dental work
  • If you are pregnant you should inform the technologist before the exam

 

Nuclear Medicine
  • If the procedure involves evaluation of the stomach, you may have to skip the meal immediately before the test

 

Positron Emission Tomography (PET Imaging)
  • Do not eat for four hours prior to the scan
  • Diabetic patient should ask for any specific diet guidelines to control glucose levels during the day of the test

 

Cardiac Nuclear Medicine
  • Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, etc.) and smoking for 48 hours before the examination
  • No eating or drinking anything after midnight before the procedure, but continue taking medications with small amounts of water unless your physician says otherwise
  • Inform the technologist and supervising physician if you have asthma o a chronic lung disease
 

Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumors
  • No food or liquids starting at midnight the evening before the treatment
  • If you take aspirin, you may be instructed to stop 10 days before hand
  • You should arrive with someone to drive you home afterwards should you not be admitted overnight to the hospital

 

Radiography (X-ray) - Chest
  • This procedure requires no special preparation
  • Inform your doctor or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that you are pregnant

 

Radiography (X-ray) - Bone
  • This procedure requires no special preparation
  • Inform your doctor or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that you are pregnant

 

Arthrography (Joint X-ray)
  • This procedure requires no special preparation
  • Inform your doctor or x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that you are pregnant

 

Radiography - Lower GI Tract (Barium Enema)
Day Before Exam
  • 12:00 noon:  Eat a light meal:  clear soups (fat free), small portions of skinless chicken or turkey, fish, white bread (no butter).  DO NOT EAT:  vegetables, fruits, nuts, fats, butter, milk, cheese, beef, pork, lamb, or whole grain cereals.
  • 1:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids: strained fruit juices with out pulp (apple, white grape, or lemonade), water, clear broth or bouillon, and coffee or tea (without milk or nondairy creamer).  You may have all of the following that are not colored red or purple:  Gatorade, carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, Kool-Aid (or other fruit flavored drinks), plain Jell-O (without added fruits or toppings, and ice Popsicles.

 

  • 2:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids
  • 3:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids
  • 4:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids
 

  • 5:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids
  • 6:00PM:  Dinner all clear liquids
  • 7:00PM:  Take Fleet Phospho-soda solution.  Follow immediately with at least 8 oz clear liquid

 

  • 8:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquids
  • 9:00PM:  Drink at least 8 oz clear liquid
  • 9:30PM:  Take 4 Fleet Bisacodyl tablets
 

 

Day of Exam
  • DO NOT EAT BREAKFAST
  • Use Fleet Bisacodyl Suppository
Radiology - Upper GI Tract
  • Do not eat or drink anything (including orally administered medications, especially antacids) after midnight on the morning of the examination
  • Do not chew gum or smoke after this time

 

Stenting
  • Advise your interventional radiologist of all medications you are currently taking and about any allergies you have, especially to the contrast material that my be used
  • Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before your procedure
  • Plan for an overnight stay in the hospital and have someone drive you home when you are ready to leave

 

Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
  • Advise the physician if you are taking aspirin or blood thinners
  • You may want to have a relative or friend present to lend support and to drive you home

    •  

 

Thrombolysis
  • Advise your interventional radiologist if you are taking aspirin or blood thinners
  • You will be admitted to the hospital the day before the procedure or the morning of the procedure and will be examined by the radiologist just before it begins
  • Do not eat or drink anything midnight the day before the procedure

 

Ultrasound - General
  • Your preparation will depend on the type of scan you are having.  The physician will give you instructions on how to prepare for your exam.

 

Ultrasound - Musculoskeletal
  • This procedure requires no special preparation

 

Ultrasound - Obstetric
  • If early in your pregnancy, you may be required to have a full bladder
  • You should ask for instructions when you make your appointment

 

Ultrasound - Pelvis
  • You may be asked to drink up to six glasses of water two hours prior to your exam,  please ask for instructions when you make your appointment.

 

Ultrasound of the Prostate
  • An enema is taken two to four hours before the ultrasound to clean out the bowel
  • You may be asked to drink up to six glasses of water prior to your exam.  You should ask for instructions when you make your appointment.

 

Ultrasound - Vascular
  • There is no special preparation for this procedure
  • If your abdominal vessels are being studied, you will need to fast before the procedure.

 

Ultrasound - Venous (Extremities)
  • There is no special preparation for this procedure
  • If the veins in your abdomen are part of the examination, no food or fluid except water for six to eight hours ahead of time.

 

Uterine Fibroid Embolization
  • Do not eat or drink prior to midnight day prior to the procedure
  • Must have a consultation prior to the procedure
  • Advise the interventional radiologist if any possibility of pregnancy
  • Advise the interventional radiologist of any medications you are taking
  • May be an overnight stay

 


Vascular Access
  • Do not eat or drink anything for several hours before the procedure
  • Make sure that someone is available to drive you home afterwards
  • Advise the interventional radiologist of any medications you are taking
  • Advise the interventional radiologist if any possibility of pregnancy

 


Vertebroplasty
  • Be sure to tell your interventional radiologist if you are allergic to x-ray contrast material, which contains iodine
  • Do not eat or drink for at least six hours before the procedure
  • Arrange to have someone drive you home after the procedure
  • Advise your interventional radiologist if your are taking aspirin or blood thinning medication
  • Avoid drinking orange juice, cream, and milk