MSCT scan

"The parenchymal organs in the upper abdomen show no focal lesions.
Post-surgical state following hysterectomy—no signs of local recurrence noted.
Adjacent to the left common iliac artery, there is an inhomogeneous formation measuring 11x25mm with low density; most likely a lymph node.

Could someone please help me make sense of this?😕

Eric Smith8 said:"The parenchymal organs of the upper abdomen show no focal changes.
Post-hysterectomy and oophorectomy status is observed with no signs of local recurrence.
Adjacent to the left common iliac artery, there is an inhomogeneous low-density formation measuring 11x25mm, most likely a lymph node."

Can someone break this down for me?..................😕

There's no recurrence, and that's what matters most! That means the cancer isn't back!👍

I couldn't agree more! If you can actually see a lymph node, it's perfectly normal for it to be reactive if it's enlarged, which means there's no malignancy involved. Where did you have the procedure done?

My mom was at... Mayo Clinic
Yes, but she already had a uterine tumor (about 3 mm wide) previously—they actually removed her uterus and ovaries a year ago, and all her follow-ups were perfectly clear... this recent news just threw me for a loop—and honestly, I’m scared to death.
I've heard that an increase like this could just be the result of some kind of inflammation...
Regardless, thanks for the quick replies.

🤔 I recently went to see my doctor because of some abdominal pain, and everything was going perfectly fine until they felt a mass just below my navel... naturally 😕
They rushed me straight to the ER because they were worried about an aortic aneurysm. They ran an ultrasound—all organs looked normal, except they couldn't quite figure out what this thing was. Then they sent me for a CT scan. The results showed my aorta is totally fine, and my liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, and spleen all look great too. No fluid buildup, no swollen lymph nodes... then they just sent me home and told me to come back for a follow-up the next day.
In the meantime, the pain actually stopped. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the sheer terror of it all just shaved ten years off my life...
The next day, two doctors performed another ultrasound. According to them, everything is okay, except for the fact that the CT shows I have hyperlordosis. Apparently, my spine is shifted forward, which pushed my aorta forward and moved my intestines aside. They measured it and said my aorta is only about 2 cm from the abdominal wall, and they even gave me this warning... they told me to be careful not to end up like that one masquerader who had his aorta nicked during an appendectomy. What’s really bothering me is that you can still feel that mass... they wrote down it's about 3x4 cm, but nobody has given me a coherent explanation of what it actually is. Is it possible that's just my aorta being felt? Because right there near the belly button, isn't that where the aorta and vein branch off into the legs? Please, I need someone to tell me how much one can actually trust a CT or an ultrasound? This whole ordeal has been so frightening... the massive fuss they made over me has left me wondering if they missed something important. I keep staring at my CT scans, trying to convince myself that it's okay—I mean, I can clearly see the aorta looks normal in the images—but I can't stop worrying that maybe, God forbid, it's some kind of tumor or something else entirely. Then again, thinking logically, a tumor that size should have been obvious on the scan. Come on, people, help me... I am going absolutely crazyyyyyyyyyyyy 🤔

A CT scan should be more than enough to identify any palpable masses in the abdomen.
I don't quite understand why they didn't specify exactly what was felt during the abdominal exam.
As for whether the aorta can be palpated, that's actually quite easy to determine through a simple physical examination without needing any fancy technology...

Sam Hall15 said:A CT scan should be more than enough to identify any palpable masses in the abdomen.
I don't quite understand why they didn't specify exactly what was felt during the abdominal exam.
As for whether the aorta can be palpated, that's actually quite easy to determine through a simple physical examination without needing any fancy technology...

Thank you....🙂
If they had actually explained what was going on, I wouldn't even be dwelling on this right now.
When I rushed into the ER that night, the doctor performing the ultrasound seemed just as confused as I was. His only comment was something along the lines of, "I see something here, but I have no idea what it is," before noting a pulsating mass of 52 mm with an impression suggesting a double lumen in the aorta. He suggested it might just be some kind of structural anomaly. When I asked if it could be a growth, he said no, and sent me for an MSCT just to be safe, adding that it certainly wasn't an aneurysm or an aortic dissection because, well, I would be "dying" from the pain.
Like I mentioned before, the CT results for my aorta and everything else came back perfectly fine. Then, the very next day, I went back for another ultrasound with two different doctors who both told me I was healthy. In their report, they concluded that the previously described formation—referring to that double lumen impression—was merely an artifact caused by atypical spinal projection due to hyperlordosis. Now, what exactly is an "artifact"? Honestly... I just don't have the energy to go back and bother a doctor just to have him explain something they should have told me in the first place. I was just so terrified at the moment that I didn't think to ask, "Okay, then what is this thing I can actually feel?" But now that I've calmed down, I can't stop overthinking it. And of course, all sorts of scary scenarios start racing through my mind.....

That makes sense; in this context, that artifact is simply a matter of clinical ambiguity 😁
...

Yeah, they didn't exactly impress me much...
So, what do you think... after the CT scan, do I really have any reason to be worried, or should I just stop dwelling on it altogether?😕

Brian Ramirez6 said:Yeah, they didn't exactly impress me much...
So, what do you think... after the CT scan, do I really have any reason to be worried, or should I just stop dwelling on it altogether?😕

I really don't think you have any reason to worry. I guess you could just look at it as one of those little anatomical quirks that sets you apart from everyone else, but physiologically speaking, everything is working exactly as it should. Honestly, when it comes to how the body is built, I’ve known all sorts of people with unique setups—like a guy I met who actually had his heart on the right side instead of the left, a girl who was born with an extra toe, or even a young man who only just found out he was missing a kidney. And truthfully, every single one of them lives completely normal, healthy lives. So, I really think you should just focus on enjoying life and staying healthy. Worrying too much just invites unnecessary stress, and we all know exactly what that kind of tension can do to a person.🙂

If I sounded a bit too casual earlier... honestly, once you've had the CT, there really isn't much left to worry about, and everything they explained to you makes sense to me. I guess you shouldn't hold it against the doctors for scaring you at first; they were just being cautious and taking things seriously, which is how you should handle any result that isn't just routine, even if it ended up making you feel incredibly anxious both then and now...
But, for the sake of your own peace of mind, I keep coming back to the whole issue of stress and how it affects you. Maybe try seeing your doctor again or just give them a call and ask for a few minutes to chat about those results. You could just explain that you didn't quite process everything the first time and that you’d really appreciate it if they could go over the findings one more time just so you can finally relax... yeah...

rowdyotter18 said:If I sounded a bit too casual earlier... honestly, once you've had the CT, there really isn't much left to worry about, and everything they explained to you makes sense to me. I guess you shouldn't hold it against the doctors for scaring you at first; they were just being cautious and taking things seriously, which is how you should handle any result that isn't just routine, even if it ended up making you feel incredibly anxious both then and now...
But, for the sake of your own peace of mind, I keep coming back to the whole issue of stress and how it affects you. Maybe try seeing your doctor again or just give them a call and ask for a few minutes to chat about those results. You could just explain that you didn't quite process everything the first time and that you’d really appreciate it if they could go over the findings one more time just so you can finally relax... yeah...

The fact that my anatomy is "outside the norm" doesn't bother me so much; I was just worried it might be some actual illness that they somehow missed.
I suppose everything is fine, so I will try my best not to dwell on it too much...

I need to get an MSCT scan for my sinuses, and I was wondering if anyone knows what the typical wait time looks like at hospitals in San Francisco—or even better, what the going rate is at private clinics? Honestly, I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to this stuff—and maybe a little squeamish, too—so I’d love to know exactly what to expect during the exam and how long it usually takes... any helpful info would be so appreciated!

I am not entirely sure what the current medical landscape looks like in San Francisco or the surrounding areas, but I can tell you this—there is absolutely nothing about this scan that you should be fearing.

The process is quite straightforward: you lie down on a table positioned beneath a CT ring that is roughly 30 cm wide—it isn't a long, claustrophobic "tunnel" like you might find with an MRI. The table moves, gliding you through that ring once very quickly (just 3 to 4 seconds) to map out the scan, and then it passes through again for the actual imaging—which usually lasts anywhere from 6 to 30 seconds depending on the specific machine being used.

If the doctors determine it is necessary, they will administer a contrast agent through your vein and simply repeat the procedure once more.
And that really is all there is to it.

Thanks so much for getting back to me—that was exactly what I needed to hear. 😍
It sounds silly, I know, but honestly? Between the idea of a tunnel and how long the procedure would take, I was absolutely terrified. 🤣

Michelle Williams5 said:Thanks so much for getting back to me—that was exactly what I needed to hear. 😍
It sounds silly, I know, but honestly? Between the idea of a tunnel and how long the procedure would take, I was absolutely terrified. 🤣

There really isn't any room for fear here. You'll be finished before you even get bored lying there 🙂.
With those older single-slice machines, the scan might take a bit longer, but for sinuses? I don't think it lasts more than a minute, if I recall correctly.

Phew, I feel so much better now... 🙂 Thanks again.
Does anyone happen to know what the wait times are like for a CT at the local hospitals? I’ve heard they don't have many machines available—and that the backlog can be pretty intense.

I just stumbled upon some news articles from last month and this one stating that the wait for a CT scan at the Mayo Clinic in San Francisco is roughly 173 days! 😲😲😲
Is that even real?!?!?!
Does anyone happen to know the approximate costs at private clinics? This wait time is just absolutely insane...

Everything at the hospital takes forever. And if you happen to miss an appointment for a scan due to some legitimate, unavoidable reason and try to reschedule, they push you back nine months—even though the actual waitlist for that specific test is supposedly only three or four months. I guess you’re just punished for having a life, even when there's a perfectly good excuse. Honestly, I’d probably bring a doctor's note just to prove why I couldn't make it that day. I'll just go to a private clinic to get it done; I don't see any other choice. It isn't even about a CT, but something else entirely. Still, it really got to me, you know? Just on a human level. I even pay for my own supplemental health insurance because they cut it for unemployed people this past summer. Then, at the start of the year, I had a specialist appointment, and the report clearly stated I needed a follow-up in exactly one year. But when they actually scheduled me, they set it for a year and four months later. So, I was pushed back four months for absolutely no reason. On that day earlier this year, I showed up right on time, just like I was told, and waited patiently in line. Even when people were cutting ahead because they knew someone working there, I didn't say anything or complain. I just sat there. And yet, here I am, apparently being punished for something I don't even understand, despite being young.

I'm sorry if this topic doesn't quite fit here since it's not about a CT.

"mistyjackal842," I'm so sorry you've had such frustrating experiences with those long wait times and exams in general.
Personally—luckily enough—I haven't run into anything like that myself, nor have I had any majorly negative encounters at hospitals or during checkups—but I've definitely heard similar horror stories from plenty of people. It’s actually because of those exact stories that I find myself wondering about how long the waitlists are and what the costs look like at private clinics—because honestly, waiting five months just for an appointment is way too much. 😠
There's no point in overanalyzing this problem for too long, but we all understand the state of our healthcare system... and the positions it puts us in... It's just awful...