Preparing for your scan.

Bring a photo ID, your physician’s order if you have a copy, your attorney’s contact details and a list of the medications you take.

If you have had X-rays, CT or MRI scans of the same area before, bring the images or the name of the center that did them so the radiologist can compare.

Many personal injury patients are scanned under a letter of protection, which means the bill is paid from the case settlement instead of up front.

Our intake team and your attorney’s office confirm how your visit is covered before your appointment, so there are no surprises on the day.

Wear comfortable clothes with no metal: no zippers, snaps, underwire or metallic threads. We provide a gown if you need one.

Leave jewelry, watches and valuables at home when you can.

Yes. A family member or friend is welcome to come to your visit and wait with you.

For safety, only the patient goes into the MRI room unless our team screens and clears a companion first.

Tell us before your appointment. Some studies are changed or postponed during pregnancy, and your physician and our radiologist will decide the safest option.

Most MRI scans need no special preparation: eat, drink and take your medications as usual unless we tell you otherwise.

Before you go into the scan room you will remove everything metal, including jewelry, watches, hairpins, hearing aids, removable dental work and anything in your pockets.

Tell us when you schedule if you have a pacemaker or defibrillator, a cochlear implant, a nerve stimulator, aneurysm clips, an insulin or medication pump, or metal fragments anywhere in your body, including from work or an injury.

Many implants are safe in MRI, but our team must confirm yours before your scan.

Most MRI exams take between 20 and 60 minutes, depending on the body area and how many images your physician ordered.

You need to lie still while the images are taken. The machine makes loud knocking sounds, so we give you earplugs or headphones.

Yes. Tell us when you schedule so we can plan for it. Our technologists talk you through every step, and you can speak with them during the scan.

Your physician may prescribe a mild medication to help you relax. If you take one, arrange for someone to drive you home.

Prepare exactly as you would for a brain MRI. DTI (diffusion tensor imaging) is a special sequence taken during the same brain MRI.

It usually adds several minutes to the scan and needs no injection.

BrainView is an FDA-cleared EEG system that measures your brain’s electrical activity while you rest and complete short computer tasks.

It looks at how the brain is working, including processing speed, attention and memory, and it produces an objective score that helps your physician assess a concussion.

Come with clean, dry hair: wash it the night before or that morning and do not use conditioner, oils, gels or hairspray, because the sensors need to touch your scalp.

Get a normal night’s sleep, eat as usual and take your regular medications unless your physician tells you otherwise. Bring a list of your medications.

No. You wear a soft cap with small sensors that only listen to your brain’s activity. There are no needles, no electric shocks and no radiation.

The test itself takes about 25 minutes, plus a few minutes to fit the cap.

Most CT scans need no preparation. If your physician ordered contrast dye, we may ask you not to eat for a few hours beforehand.

Tell us if you have had a reaction to contrast dye or iodine, if you have kidney disease or diabetes, or if you take metformin.

The scan itself usually takes only a few minutes. Plan for about 15 to 30 minutes at the center, or longer if you receive contrast.

No preparation is needed. You will remove jewelry and metal near the area being imaged, and the X-ray itself takes only minutes.

For ultrasound of muscles, tendons and joints, such as a shoulder or knee, no preparation is needed. Wear loose clothing so we can reach the area easily.

Some other ultrasounds, such as the abdomen, need you to fast first. If yours does, we tell you when we schedule.

A radiologist reads your study and sends the report to the physician who ordered it, and to your attorney’s office when you have authorized us to share it.

Your physician will go over the results with you.

Yes, unless you were given medication to relax. Most patients return to normal activities right away.