Ultrasound Advice

by Joshua Wood, Stevenson Newspapers

Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) has added yet another service for Platte Valley residents through its MHCC Health Center–Platte Valley Saratoga location. Patients can now utilize outpatient ultrasound and digital x-ray services without driving to Rawlins.

"With the services that we have in Rawlins, we've been fortunate to have new technology (and) up-to-date equipment, a lot of that through grants. It's been wonderful to offer those services. When we opened our clinic in Saratoga, we added the x-ray equipment there," said Jan Gulbrandson, who has more than 25 years of experience with MHCC and is the Ancillary Department Director of Radiology. "As we looked at improving services for Carbon County and the Platte Valley area, we wanted to add ultrasound to that service list so the patients didn't have to travel to Rawlins for that. We recently added the ultrasound equipment and the technology in the Platte Valley area to be able to keep those patients in their community."

This service, according to ultrasound technician Hillary Larson, is especially important at times when winter weather forces the closure of highways and Interstate 80. In Saratoga, Larson can offer a whole suite of imaging services to patients without them ever having to head out of town

"We offer head-to-toe imaging with ultrasound, we just basically do general studies there. What that covers is your abdominal ultrasound to look at the liver, gallbladder (and) kidneys. We also do thyroids, GYN pelvic ultrasounds for women's health as well as OB ultrasounds and carotid ultrasounds of the neck," said Larson. "One of our big things that we do in Rawlins and Saratoga are the venous Doppler leg studies. We can also do venous Doppler arm studies."

Venous Doppler studies, according to Larson, are fairly recent developments in imaging. The technology uses waves to produce images of veins within the body, according to RadiologyInfo.org. It is most commonly used to search for blood clots in the legs, a condition commonly known as deep vein thrombosis. By finding and addressing blood clots before they approach the heart or lungs, a medical emergency can be prevented.

"It's nice to be able to take care of those kinds of studies in Saratoga, that way we're not having the patient drive over to Rawlins if they have a possible blood clot in their leg," said Larson. "We can get a lot of those treated at the clinic, they don't need to be seen in the ER depending on how bad the clot is."

The service, though a relatively recent addition to the services offered by MHCC Health Center–Platte Valley, is already being used by patients, said Larson. Some days are busy, while others leave room for a last-minute addition to the schedule.

"It's been justified having it there with the amount that we are doing per week," said Larson.

As with some other services offered by MHCC, someone cannot just walk in and request an ultrasound because they feel a pain in their stomach or pain in their leg. The best course of action is for orders to be sent to MHCC's radiology department where Gulbrandson will schedule the imaging in either Rawlins or Saratoga.

"It's always best to see a provider first so they can order the accurate testing to get the best diagnosis for you," said Gulbrandson.

To schedule an appointment, call MHCC at 307-324-8381.