Board certified in radiology, Dr. James Summa treated patients for 14 years at Dallas, Texas-based White Rock Radiology, where he focused on interventional radiology. This area of medicine involves the use of radiology-guided needles or catheters to diagnose and treat patients in minimally invasive ways. Dr. James Summa has extensive experience in performing a wide range of interventional radiology procedures, such as myelography.
Myelography is an imaging test used to diagnose a number of conditions occurring in the spine or spinal cord. Such conditions include tumors, herniated discs, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and degenerative disc disease. A myelogram involves injecting a contrast dye into the area around the spinal cord and viewing the spine using fluoroscopy, which is a form of X-ray that shows real-time images. This procedure is often ordered when an MRI fails to provide an adequate view of the spinal cord and spinal nerves, especially when problems with nerve compression are suspected.
To perform the procedure, the interventional radiologist will have the patient lie on his or her side or back and will numb the injection area with a local anesthetic. The doctor then inserts the needle under fluoroscopic guidance until it reaches the subarachnoid space, which is where the spinal fluid is located. After some spinal fluid is removed, the contrast dye is injected, and the radiologist will then tilt the table in various directions to move the dye throughout the spinal column.
Fluoroscopic images are obtained to detect problems with the soft tissues around the spine, and a CT scan may also be performed while the dye is in place to get a better view of the bones and other hard tissues that may be negatively affecting the spinal cord and nerves.
Myelography is an imaging test used to diagnose a number of conditions occurring in the spine or spinal cord. Such conditions include tumors, herniated discs, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and degenerative disc disease. A myelogram involves injecting a contrast dye into the area around the spinal cord and viewing the spine using fluoroscopy, which is a form of X-ray that shows real-time images. This procedure is often ordered when an MRI fails to provide an adequate view of the spinal cord and spinal nerves, especially when problems with nerve compression are suspected.
To perform the procedure, the interventional radiologist will have the patient lie on his or her side or back and will numb the injection area with a local anesthetic. The doctor then inserts the needle under fluoroscopic guidance until it reaches the subarachnoid space, which is where the spinal fluid is located. After some spinal fluid is removed, the contrast dye is injected, and the radiologist will then tilt the table in various directions to move the dye throughout the spinal column.
Fluoroscopic images are obtained to detect problems with the soft tissues around the spine, and a CT scan may also be performed while the dye is in place to get a better view of the bones and other hard tissues that may be negatively affecting the spinal cord and nerves.