OPG & CT Scan
The OPG & CT scans were conducted on the 12th of January 2009. My specialist (on Friday 09 January 2009) asked me to organise the OPG and CT Scans whilst he would organise the PET scan. He indicated it was a matter of urgency to get these done before my exploratory surgery on the following Wednesday. I rang around on Saturday to a couple of different companies and none of the five could fit me in before the Wednesday. I decided it was time to regroup and take the weekend off as there is no use stressing over those things you have no control over. On Monday 12 January 2009 I rang around the last two places to do both the CT and OPG and struck the Brisbane Private Hospital that could get me in at 1230 the same day. My luck was changing.
I started with the OPG.
An
OPG is an abbreviation of OrthoPanTomoGram. 'Ortho' as in orthodontics refers to the teeth. 'Pan' refers to the panoramic display of the teeth produced by the technique. A Tomogram is an X-ray image that is focussed in a single plane of the patient. The OPG machine is specifically designed to produce panoramic tomographic X-rays of the teeth, jaws and temperomandibular joints. The physical principles are similar to conventional tomograms however with an OPG the plane of focus is curved to match the curve of the jaws. The images provide an overview of the state of the dentition as well as information regarding the bones of the jaw (the mandible and maxilla), the sinuses in the upper jaw and the joints between the jaw and the skull (the temperomandibular joints). The OPG machines can also perform a 'lateral cephalogram' which is a standard lateral view of the skull. The information assists dentists, dental and medical specialists in diagnosing abnormalities and in planning treatment for known problems.Then came the CT about an hour later. The process involved drinking about two litres of water containing some form of chemical. An hour and a bit after having started on the fluid I was called in to do the CT.
You are also injected with a dye into your arm to create a contrast which adds to the clarity of the images. You lay on a table which moves you slowly through a hoop which whirs and grinds and speaks to you saying things like take a deep breath and hold, now breath out.
After I was finished it was back to work – no rest for the wicked I suppose