Pullman Regional Hospital

Pullman Regional Hospital offers on-site imaging services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our imaging department is fully digital which means no film is used in any of the imaging procedures we perform. Pullman Regional can perform a variety of imaging tests including (click on any of the services listed below to learn more):

• X-Ray
• Mammography
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Ultrasound
• Computed Tomography (CT)
• Nuclear Medicine

Please contact Pullman Regional Hospital's Imaging Department at (509) 336-7446 to schedule an appointment.

What Is Mammography?

Mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system for examination of the breasts. Pullman Regional Hospital offers the most-advanced technology with digital mammography. Digital mammography is 25% more effective at detecting abnormalities in women with dense breasts than conventional mammography. While other diagnostic tests are sometimes necessary, the mammogram is the first line of defense against breast cancer.

Successful treatment of breast cancer depends on early diagnosis and mammography plays a central part in early detection. Mammography can show changes in the breast for up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), mammography can detect 85 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women over 50. Current guidelines from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend that women have an annual mammogram beginning at the age 40.

What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than x-rays to provide remarkably clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. The technique has proven very valuable for the diagnosis of a broad range of conditions in all parts of the body, including cancer, heart and vascular disease, stroke, and joint and musculoskeletal disorders. MRI requires specialized equipment and expertise and allows evaluation of some body structures that may not be as visible with other imaging methods.

Due to the clarity of the MRI images of soft-tissue structures near and around bones, it is the most sensitive exam for spinal and joint problems. MRI is widely used to diagnose sports-related injuries, especially those affecting the knee, shoulder, hip, elbow, and wrist. The images allow the physician to see even very small tears and injuries to ligaments and muscles.

What is Ultrasound Imaging?

Ultrasound (US) imaging, also called ultrasound scanning or sonography, is a method of "seeing" inside the human body through the use of high-frequency sound waves. The sound waves are recorded and displayed as a real-time visual image. No radiation is involved in ultrasound imaging.

US is a useful way of examining many of the body's internal organs, including the heart, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder. Ultrasound, as most people know, is the preferred method used to visualize an unborn fetus.

What is CT (or CAT) Scan?

CT (Computed Tomography), sometimes called CAT scan, uses special x-ray equipment to obtain image data from different angles around the body. It then uses computer processing of the information to show a cross-section of body tissues and organs.

CT imaging is particularly useful because it can show several types of tissue (lung, bone, soft tissue, and blood vessels) with great clarity. Using specialized equipment and expertise to create and interpret CT scans of the body, radiologists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, trauma, and musculoskeletal disorders. While a CT scan is a patient-friendly exam, it does involve minimal radiation exposure, but can yield invaluable information.

What are some common uses of CT?

Because it provides detailed, cross-sectional views of all types of tissue, a CT scan is one of the best tools for studying the chest and abdomen. It is often the preferred method for diagnosing many types of cancers, including lung, liver, and pancreatic cancers. The image allows a physician to confirm the presence of a tumor and to measure its size, precise location, and the extent of the tumor's involvement with other nearby tissue. CT examinations are often used to plan biopsies and other minimally invasive procedures. CT can clearly show even very small bones, as well as surrounding tissues such as muscle and blood vessels. This makes it invaluable in diagnosing and treating spinal problems and injuries to the hands, feet, and other skeletal structures. CT images can also be used to measure bone mineral density for the detection of osteoporosis. In cases of trauma, CT can quickly identify injuries to the liver, spleen, kidneys, or other internal organs. Many dedicated shock-trauma centers have a CT scanner in the trauma department. CT can also play a significant role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of vascular diseases that can lead to stroke, gangrene or kidney failure.

What is X-Ray?

Radiography, known to most people as x-ray, is the oldest and most frequently used form of medical imaging. For nearly a century, diagnostic images have been created by passing small, highly controlled amounts of radiation through the human body, capturing the resulting shadows and reflections on a "digital" plate.

X-rays allow the physician to view and assess broken bones, a cracked skull or injured backbone. X-rays also play a key role in orthopedic surgery and the treatment of sports injuries. X-ray is useful for evaluation of the chest and abdomen as well.

What are some common uses of X-Ray?

Probably the most common use of bone radiographs is to assist the physician in identifying and treating fractures. The use of X-ray images of the skull, spine, joints, and extremities are very common in hospital emergency rooms, sports medicine centers, orthopedic clinics, and physician offices. Images of an injury can show even very fine hairline fractures or chips, while images produced after treatment ensure that a fracture has been properly aligned and stabilized for healing. Bone x-rays are an essential tool in orthopedic surgery, such as spinal repair, joint replacements, or fracture reductions.

What is Nuclear Medicine?

Nuclear Medicine is the clinical discipline concerned with the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radionucleotides, an isotope of artificial or natural origin that exhibits radioactivity. A nuclear imaging machine employs a scintillation camera, which rotates around the body to pick up radiation emitted by an injected substance such as radioactive iodine, which localizes in the thyroid, or radioactive thallium, which localizes in the heart. Through computerization, a digitized image of a particular organ is produced.