Diagnostic Center of Chesapeake

The Diagnostic Center of Chesapeake at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center is located on the first floor of the hospital's W. Stanley Jennings Outpatient Center.

The center was designed to increase the patient's convenience and enhance quality care and service by efficiently consolidating many of Chesapeake Regional Medical Center's extensive diagnostic resources.

The goal at the DCC is to provide diagnosis, treatment and therapy as quickly as possible. With the DCC right on the hospital campus, patients now have direct access to the hospital's extensive services without ever having to leave the hospital grounds. Not only are highly qualified radiologists on site at the center, but other physicians, clinical specialists and services including the emergency department are within steps if needed.

Diagnostic services at Chesapeake Regional's DCC:

• Bone Densitometry. Bone Densitometry is a test similar to an X-ray that quickly and accurately measures bone density. It is used primarily to detect osteopenia or osteoporosis, diseases in which the bone's mineral content and density are low and the risk of fractures is high. Bone mineral density measures the amount of calcium in a specific region of the bones. From this information, an estimate of bone strength can be made. Unlike the densitometer, ordinary X-rays cannot detect mild bone loss.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A MRI is a type of diagnostic test that uses electromagnetic energy to produce highly detailed and sophisticated cross-sectional images of various body organs. MRI is most useful for providing soft-tissue images, detecting edema in the brain, projecting a direct image of the spinal cord, tumors in the chest and abdomen, and visualizing the cardiovascular system.
• Computed Tomography. A CT scan beams ionizing X-rays through a patient's body at multiple angles. These angles are detected and relayed to a computer, programmed with the absorption capacities of the various body tissues. The computer then projects a single composite picture of a specific slice of the abdomen, chest or head on a screen. CTs can visualize internal organs impossible to see with ordinary X-rays.
• Ultrasound. Also known as a sonogram, an ultrasound uses high-frequency, inaudible sound waves that are bounced off body tissues and then recorded to give information about the anatomy of an internal organ. Ultrasounds are used to detect a wide variety of conditions and by a range of physicians including radiologists, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists and obstetricians/gynecologists.
• Laboratory. Routine laboratory work is done on site at the DCC. Those services include EKG testing, pre-employment drug screenings and point of care testing. Most insurances are accepted.

Also located in the DCC is Chesapeake Regional's Breast Center.
Here patients can receive:

• Digital mammography. Digital mammography is more detailed than analog and is critical in detecting early stage breast lesions. This is especially true in women under 50-years-old, those who are premenopausal and women with dense breast tissue. The center offers both screening and diagnostic mammograms.Many small tumors can be seen on a mammogram before they can be felt by a woman or her doctor. Cancer is most easily treated and cured when it is discovered at an early stage. Although breast cancer can occur in men, almost 99 percent is found in women.
• R2 ImageChecker System. The R2 ImageChecker is a sophisticated piece of computer-aided equipment that can spot details helping to detect breast cancer at the earliest, most treatable stage. Used in conjunction with a mammogram, the ImageChecker pinpoints tiny calcifications and abnormal changes in breast tissue that otherwise would go unnoticed. For every 100,000 cancers detected by mammography, the ImageChecker can be expected to find an additional 20,500.
• Breast Biopsy. When a breast biopsy is need, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center offers a safe, accurate non-surgical procedure, a mammotome-aided stereotactic biopsy. This state-of-the-art technique uses ultrasound imaging to locate the areas of the breast at suspect. Tiny tissue samples are then extracted for further study. The procedure is quick, requiring no sutures, and results in minimal pain.

Appointments
Walk-in appointments are available for routine X-rays, EKGs and laboratory services from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Appointments for scheduled diagnostic testing at the DCC are from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. When needed, same-day appointments are available. Call 757-312-6137 to schedule an appointment.

All commercial insurances are accepted, including Optima, for diagnostic imaging services at Chesapeake General Hospital.

The Diagnostic Center of Chesapeake
844 Battlefield Blvd., North
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-312-6137