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What Type Of Imaging Test Is Ideal For Examining The Diaphragm?
Question: Hello,
I just had an imaging test of the liver called
a Fibroscan done, because I was having
RUQ pain. It showed virtually no fibrosis,
so my liver can't be causing the pain.
My concern is, because of some asbestos
exposure about 30 years ago, this might
be some kind of asbestos related disease
process going. 3 years ago, I had a lung
ct scan which showed 'nodular pleural
thickening' which they interpreted as
scarring. I had 2 followup lung ct scans,
each a year after the other(the last
one being Feb 2015). Both showed
minimal scarring and essentially unchanged.
I discussed my results with several pulmonologists
and they did not seem concerned.
But, I'm wondering: does a lung ct examine
the diaphragm? If so, how accurate is it
in finding evidence of pathology? If not,
what type of imaging test is ideal for
imaging the diaphragm?
Thanks,
XXXXXXX
I just had an imaging test of the liver called
a Fibroscan done, because I was having
RUQ pain. It showed virtually no fibrosis,
so my liver can't be causing the pain.
My concern is, because of some asbestos
exposure about 30 years ago, this might
be some kind of asbestos related disease
process going. 3 years ago, I had a lung
ct scan which showed 'nodular pleural
thickening' which they interpreted as
scarring. I had 2 followup lung ct scans,
each a year after the other(the last
one being Feb 2015). Both showed
minimal scarring and essentially unchanged.
I discussed my results with several pulmonologists
and they did not seem concerned.
But, I'm wondering: does a lung ct examine
the diaphragm? If so, how accurate is it
in finding evidence of pathology? If not,
what type of imaging test is ideal for
imaging the diaphragm?
Thanks,
XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
A CT scan lung examines the diaphragm accurately
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.
I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.
1. Fibroscan of liver is a method to examine the liver using ultrasound and see for any changes in its structure which might predispose it to fibrosis. The scan was normal in your case therefore no concern for the liver.
2. Diaphragm is the partition between the chest and abdomen. The pleura attaches the lungs to the chest walls by two layers of membranes. A lung CT shows the diaphragm in complete detail and the pleura is also studied.
3. A CT scan lung is accurate in the study of diaphragm and pleura. Your doctors are not concerned because the pleural thickening has a benign appearance and unlikely to be a cause of concern right now. The changes are not of progressive nature.
Hope this answers your question. Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.
Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
A CT scan lung examines the diaphragm accurately
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.
I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.
1. Fibroscan of liver is a method to examine the liver using ultrasound and see for any changes in its structure which might predispose it to fibrosis. The scan was normal in your case therefore no concern for the liver.
2. Diaphragm is the partition between the chest and abdomen. The pleura attaches the lungs to the chest walls by two layers of membranes. A lung CT shows the diaphragm in complete detail and the pleura is also studied.
3. A CT scan lung is accurate in the study of diaphragm and pleura. Your doctors are not concerned because the pleural thickening has a benign appearance and unlikely to be a cause of concern right now. The changes are not of progressive nature.
Hope this answers your question. Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.
Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you sir, for that answer.
I'm very relieved to hear that.
So, do you think the following symptoms
I'm having lately could just be due to
(chronic) acid reflux?
- tightness in chest
- burning pain in back of neck
- shortness of breath
- RUQ pain
- pain all along the bottom of the rib cage
I've had most of these for quite a while, except
the tightness in chest, shortness of breath, and
back of neck pain. I went to the ER over the
weekend for this, and they did a complete cardiac
workup during an overnight stay(3 troponine tests
and 3 ekg's), and NO evidence of a heart attack,
although one of the doctors thought my T waves
on the relaxation phase were a little too small.
I'm going to have a stress test asap. Could
heart disease cause this? They ran a cholesterol
test too, and it suprisingly showed an abnormally
LOW total cholesterol(130) and abnormally low
Triglycerides(38), so they became less concerned
after seeing that. By the way, what could cause
these abnormally low numbers?
Thanks again Doctor,
XXXXXXX
I'm very relieved to hear that.
So, do you think the following symptoms
I'm having lately could just be due to
(chronic) acid reflux?
- tightness in chest
- burning pain in back of neck
- shortness of breath
- RUQ pain
- pain all along the bottom of the rib cage
I've had most of these for quite a while, except
the tightness in chest, shortness of breath, and
back of neck pain. I went to the ER over the
weekend for this, and they did a complete cardiac
workup during an overnight stay(3 troponine tests
and 3 ekg's), and NO evidence of a heart attack,
although one of the doctors thought my T waves
on the relaxation phase were a little too small.
I'm going to have a stress test asap. Could
heart disease cause this? They ran a cholesterol
test too, and it suprisingly showed an abnormally
LOW total cholesterol(130) and abnormally low
Triglycerides(38), so they became less concerned
after seeing that. By the way, what could cause
these abnormally low numbers?
Thanks again Doctor,
XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Please find details below
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXX,
Thanks for writing back with an update.
1. It is possible that your symptoms are non cardiac which means not related to the heart. Acid reflux is an important cause for such symptoms and this requires certain lifestyle changes which might be of help.
2. Please have small frequent meals through out the day instead of missing meals and eating too much after long gaps.
3. At your age, alcohol and smoking might be reduced because of their tendency to cause acid reflux. Avoid lying down for 30 minutes after your meal.
4. It was important to check the heart for problems at your age and the tests are normal. There is a small likelihood of stress induced heart problems and than will be clear after the stress test. ECG gives an idea of the electrical activity and T wave abnormality is best evaluated in detail with other test.
5. Every person is different in the way fats are metabolized. It is possible that the fats circulating in your blood are low and this means there is less risk of heart problems due to coronary heart disease. The low numbers are because of the fact that the fats are being metabolized fast in you. This is not a health concern.
Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Please find details below
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXX,
Thanks for writing back with an update.
1. It is possible that your symptoms are non cardiac which means not related to the heart. Acid reflux is an important cause for such symptoms and this requires certain lifestyle changes which might be of help.
2. Please have small frequent meals through out the day instead of missing meals and eating too much after long gaps.
3. At your age, alcohol and smoking might be reduced because of their tendency to cause acid reflux. Avoid lying down for 30 minutes after your meal.
4. It was important to check the heart for problems at your age and the tests are normal. There is a small likelihood of stress induced heart problems and than will be clear after the stress test. ECG gives an idea of the electrical activity and T wave abnormality is best evaluated in detail with other test.
5. Every person is different in the way fats are metabolized. It is possible that the fats circulating in your blood are low and this means there is less risk of heart problems due to coronary heart disease. The low numbers are because of the fact that the fats are being metabolized fast in you. This is not a health concern.
Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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