Imaging

We know that undergoing an examination can be a little daunting. That’s why we provide a comprehensive information service to explain the examination you are about to be given. The service is available to all inpatients and outpatients as well as Trust staff.

We use the very latest technology to carry out a range of diagnostic and investigative procedures performed by a team of trained specialists, including consultant radiologists, radiographers and sonographers. We perform around 2,700 examinations every month. The services we offer include X-ray, ultrasound, hysterosalpingograms, bone densitometry, mammography and NT scans.

The department is on the ground floor of the Crown Street hospital site, close to the ambulance entrance, and is open every weekday between 8.30am and 5pm. Outside these hours there is an emergency on-call service for urgent X-ray examinations.

DEXA scans are used to measure the amount of calcium in bones and to diagnose osteoporosis (or assess the risk of osteoporosis developing). The examination involves changing into a hospital gown and lying on a couch whilst the body is x-rayed. The examination takes between 10 and 20 minutes. The X-ray dose is low, being about onetenth the dose of a chest X-ray.

Screening for osteoporosis is important as it causes no symptoms until a bone is broken (NHS Choices 2010). People considered to be at high risk of developing osteoporosis are:

• Women who had an early menopause (under 45) and didn't have Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
• Men or women who have a disease that leads to low bone density or causes loss of bone, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Men and women under 65 who have taken steroid tablets for three months or more.
• Men or women with a mother who fractured her hip before she was 75.
• Women who have had their ovaries removed and no HRT to compensate for the menopause that this causes.
• Men or women with low Body Mass Index (BMI) below 18.

Patients may be referred for a DEXA scan from their consultant or GP. We do not currently accept self referrals but if you are concerned that you may be at risk of osteoporosis you should speak to your doctor.

Liverpool Women's Hospital offers first trimester screening for Down's Syndrome. This test involves measuring the nuchal translucency (the skin behind the neck) between 11+2 and 14 weeks and a blood sample. The nuchal translucency, an ultrasound scan is measured as part of the dating scan. The blood sample and nuchal translucency measurement are sent to a laboratory for analysis and the results are returned within one week.

Occasionally we are unable to measure the nuchal translucency and if this happens (for example if you are over 14 weeks) we can perform the quadruple test (a blood test) to give you a risk of Down's syndrome.