What to Expect & Steps to Follow

The process and steps for you to follow

DECIDING ON APPROPRIATE SCAN(S) FOR YOU

  1. Evaluate and consider your personal medical risk factors:
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Family History of conditions, particularly genetic or familial
  • Personal medical history
  • Abnormal Blood Tests
  • Abnormal lipid profile – cholesterol, Triglycerides
  • High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
  • Diabetes or pre-diabetes or Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X)
  • Obesity
  • Sedentary or lack of exercise
  • Poor dietary habits
  • Tobacco
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Chronic mental / emotional / physical stress
  • Poor sleep hygiene
  1. Carefully consider any symptoms or signs you are experiencing.
  2. Consider the disease processes you are concerned about or where you require peace of mind.
  3. Read through the information on this website, particularly the various screening scans offered.[Screening Scans menu link]
  4. Decide which scans you believe may be appropriate for you, taking the above into account.
  5. Contact one of our scan consultants to assist you in finalising the most relevant and appropriate scan(s) for you. You may also discuss the scan(s) pricing / funding options, or any other information you wish. You may call in or email or complete the online contact form to do this.
  6. If you are still unsure about your scan(s), we provide a complementary consultation service with one of our specialist doctors, for further assessment.

This will ensure an individualised, responsible and medically appropriate scan(s) choice.

BEFORE YOUR SCAN(S)

  1. Once you are fully satisfied with your scan choice, one of our our scan consultants will schedule your scan date and time at your convenience. [link to contact page]
  2. For certain scans only, you will receive delivery of a simple pre-scan at-home PreparationKit, including explicit instructions, a short medical questionaire and directions to our practice. This will be discussed with you by the consultant if require, prior to delivery.
  3. You may take your usual medications as per schedule. There may be a few exceptions (Glucophage or erectile dysfunction medication) if you are having certain scan(s). Your scan consultant will advise you on this.

ARRIVAL FOR YOUR SCAN(S)

  1. You will arrive at our department, in the Rosebank Hospital Johannesburg, a half-hour to an hour before your scheduled scan, depending on which scan(s) you hare having. [link to directions / location page]
  2. You will be met by a consultant and taken into a private, quiet and comfortable consultation room. Internet access is provided.
  3. The consultant will perform a pre-scan check, review your completed medical questionaire, run through the scan(s) process with you and answer any questions you may have.
  4. While you are waiting, our nursing sister will further review your medical questionaire and assess you clinically, including your vitals.
  5. When you are ready to be scanned, the radiographer (tech) will come in and escort you to a change-room to be changed into a gown and your valuables locked away.
  6. The radiographer and nursing sister will then take you through to the scanner room(s).

YOUR SCAN(S)

  1. You simply lie down on a comfortable scanner table, covered with a blanket if you are cold.
  2. There may be further preparation on the table, such as placing ECG leads or a standard IV drip line, depending on your scan(s). The nursing sister and radiographer will perform these if required.
  3. The CT scans are performed rapidly during a series of simple breath-hold(s). This is in a wide open ring which is not claustrophobic at all. The MRI scans take longer, several minutes to half an hour, while you are observed continually. If you are claustrophobic, light sedation may be administered.
  4. Certain CT scans may require IV contrast, known as x-ray “dye”, which contains iodine. We use the latest contrast which is very safe and you will already have been allergy checked.

AFTER YOUR SCANS

  1. You are immediately escorted back to the change-room be changed and then to the consultation room. Complimentary drinks and snacks are provided.
  2. You may leave immediately after your scan(s), drive and return home or go to work directly. No stay or after-care is required.
  3. If you are a private patient who is not referred by a doctor, then a report-back consultation / tele-consultation with one of our specialist doctors will be scheduled before you leave.
  4. After you have left, the scan data is processed by our radiographers (techs) and sent to the specialist doctors 3D Workstation for evaluation.

YOUR SCAN REPORT AND REPORT BACK CONSULTATION WITH OUR DOCTORS

  1. Our specialist doctors will carefully review your reconstructed scan data on an advanced 3D Work-station.
  2. They will compile a comprehensive medical scan report with recommendations and the accompanying scan image data.
  3. A report pack containing your hard-copy scan report as well as the raw digital scan data will be delivered to your requested address.
  • Your scan report may also be securely disseminated electronically to you or to any health professional of your choice once you approve.
  • Your images and report findings are highly confidential, and will only be shared with another doctor or health professional by your request and consent.
  • Your scan data is securely archived locally and backed up to our cloud servers for at least five years. Our systems are medico-legally and POPIA compliant.
  1. If you are a private patient that has not been referred by a doctor, then we will have arranged a report-back consultation / tele-consultation for you, with one of our specialist doctors. This is so that you fully understand your report findings, their relevance and any medical / health recommendations or follow-up scan(s) that may be necessary. This is complimentary and essential. It takes about 30 – 45 minutes. If applicable, any previous scan(s) reports from our practice will be compared with your current scan(s) results to assess
  2. If you require further medical management for a scan finding, it is essential that you take your scan report to your doctor or any other doctor / specialist of your choice. Alternatively, we have a network of excellent medical specialists in all fields who we can refer you to directly and schedule a consultation at your request. This is a complimentary service we provide.
  3. Any follow-up scan(s) that may be required will also be scheduled by the consultant and you will be called back for these from our side.