Imaging & Radiology
Our radiology department offers a wide range of essential diagnostic and specialty screening services using advanced imaging technology.
About
Our radiology department, located on the first hospital floor of St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan, is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). That means our images, equipment, staff credentials and quality-related processes have been approved by nationally recognized experts. Our highly skilled and thoughtful radiologists and clinical staff partner with you and your family to offer exceptional care, educating you about all available treatment options and providing hope when it matters most.
All imaging services can be scheduled through the St. Elizabeth radiology department by calling 970-542-3314 from 7:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday. All services require referral orders prior to scheduling, except for mammograms which patients can schedule without a referral if they designate primary care physician to receive the results.
Our Services
To ensure you receive the most comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, our physicians use only advanced imaging technology to scan your body and create high-resolution pictures. We offer all essential diagnostic screens, including MRI services, ultrasound, CT scans, X-rays and nuclear medicine.
In addition, we have more advanced imaging techniques, including a preventative lung nodule program, interventional radiology (IR), women’s services and cardiac imaging, an extension of our top-rated ACC-accredited Chest Pain Center — the only accredited hospital in northeast Colorado.
Essential imaging
MRI scan
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is a painless, noninvasive way for physicians to examine your organs, tissues and skeletal system. An alternative to X-rays (radiation), MRI uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to produce high-resolution images of the inside of your body to help diagnose a variety of conditions.
Ultrasound
Diagnostic ultrasound uses a probe, typically outside the body, to provide a clear picture of soft tissues that don’t show up well on X-ray images. Ultrasound uses sound waves to view the body’s internal structures to help diagnose unexplained pain, swelling and infection. It may also be used to provide imaging guidance to needle biopsies or to see and evaluate conditions related to blood flow.
CT scan
A computerized tomography (CT) scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images (slices) of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside your body. CT scan images, far more detailed than X-rays, can be used to visualize nearly all parts of the body and is used to diagnose disease or injury as well as to plan medical and/or surgical treatment.
X-ray
These noninvasive, painless scans use safe amounts of radiation to take pictures of bones and soft tissue inside your body. The images help physicians diagnose and plan treatments for a wide range of conditions. Often, X-rays are used to evaluate broken bones, dislocated joints and other bone injuries. For some X-ray types, a contrast medium — such as iodine or barium — is introduced into your body to provide greater detail on the images.
Nuclear medicine tests
Safe, effective and among the least-invasive ways to diagnose diseases and monitor treatments, nuclear medicine tests administer a radioactive tracer (no dye or medicine) into the body to create images of how an organ is functioning rather than just how an organ “looks.” Tracers are typically injected into a vein without side effects and the amount of radiation a patient receives in a typical nuclear medicine scan tends to be very low.
Women's services
3D mammogram
A 3D mammogram (breast tomosynthesis) is an imaging test that combines multiple breast X-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast. A 3D mammogram is used to look for breast cancer in people who have no signs or symptoms or investigate the cause of breast problems, such as a mass, pain and nipple discharge. 3D mammography is particularly good at helping to find abnormalities in women with dense breasts. Both dense breast tissue and cancers appear white on a standard (2D) mammogram, which may make breast cancer more difficult to detect in dense breasts.
DEXA bone density scan
Simple, noninvasive and quick, the dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan determines if you have or the likelihood that you will develop osteoporosis — a disorder where your bones become more fragile and more likely to break. The test uses X-rays to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone. Spine, hip and forearm bones are most commonly tested. In addition to scanning your bones for bone density, DEXA scans can also be used to identify your body mass index (BMI).
Cardiac imaging
Available for both men and women, our cardiac imaging services are an extension of our top-rated ACC-accredited Chest Pain Center — the only accredited hospital in northeast Colorado.
Echocardiogram
Painless, non-invasive, hand-held diagnostic ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of your heart’s size, structure and motion. This provides valuable information about the health of your heart, including the strength of the heart muscle and the function of the heart valves. It also shows the pumping action of your valves and the way your blood flows through them.
Coronary calcium scan
This painless scan of the heart uses a special computerized tomography (CT) to look for calcium deposits in the heart arteries, which can help diagnose early coronary artery disease before symptoms present. Coronary calcium scan results can also help determine the risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Lung nodule program
Although most lung nodules are noncancerous (benign), some may have the potential to become cancerous and spread to other areas of the body. Finding and monitoring lung nodules when they are small offers the best chance of avoiding unnecessary surgery and developing a successful treatment for an optimal outcome.
Low-dose lung CT
This special X-ray machine uses a sliding table to capture and combine multiple images into a detailed picture to indicate whether you have nodules growing on your lungs.
