Hi. I recently posted looking for a surgeon. I do have a consult with Dr. Constantino in October. I sent him a 3D CBCT of my head without contrast and a ct scan of my sinus. Both do show elongated styloids. I’m wondering if there is other testing he may need for a thorough consult. I’d have to wait until the end of October and find out he needed something else.
A CT scan with contrast of the area from your skull base to your hyoid bone is what he’ll need to see before he will offer you a consult. The contrast allows the veins & arteries in your neck to be visible as well as the styloids. He’ll want to see those vascular tissues which aren’t visible in a CBCT & probably aren’t visible in your sinus CT.
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Thank you for quick response. I’ll see if I can make that happen.
It kind of stinks because I’m allergic to the contrast and I have to premeditate with a few drugs to get through one.
The contrast for a CT is iodine based so bothers less people than the heavy metal gadolinium used in an MRI. We have other members who have a problem with the iodine contrast. I’m sorry you’re one of them, but that is the most definitive imaging for ES w/ vascular compression. It would be worthwhile asking if there is another type of contrast that could be used in your case. I think (not sure) there may be alternatives for situations such as yours.
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That’s rotten- as @Isaiah_40_31 says there can be alternatives, but whether that’s easily available locally I don’t know…
‘There’s also a specialised option: contrast-enhanced ultrasound using tiny gas-filled microbubbles, injected into a vein.[1] They reflect ultrasound strongly, improving views of blood flow in organs like the liver, kidneys and heart — and they use no radiation and dissolve within minutes. Because they don’t affect the kidneys, they’re a useful option for people with kidney failure or allergies to CT/MRI contrast.’ Alternatives when you can’t have contrast dye | RadiologyScan
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