Articles

# Articles

What to expect from an exam, how to prepare, and how the pictures get made.

- [How to choose an imaging center in El Paso: what to check](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-imaging-center-in-el-paso): Looking for the best imaging center in El Paso? Check the exam, location, hours, accreditation and who reads it, and how Desert Imaging answers each. (October 16, 2026)
- [How much does an MRI cost in El Paso without insurance?](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/how-much-does-an-mri-cost-in-el-paso-without-insurance): Paying for an MRI yourself in El Paso? Desert Imaging quotes a self-pay price for the exact exam on your order. What to ask, how to pay, and where to go. (October 16, 2026)
- [Bone density (DEXA): the 10-minute exam most people put off](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/bone-density-dexa-the-10-minute-exam-most-people-put-off): A very low dose X-ray measures the bone in your spine and hip while you lie still. What it is for, what to wear, and which four centers do it. (October 12, 2026)
- [Nuclear medicine: what the exam is and how it differs from CT and MRI](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/nuclear-medicine-what-the-exam-is-and-how-it-differs-from-ct-and-mri): A tracer shows how an organ is working, not only how it looks. What the day is like at our Central center, and how the exam compares with CT and MRI. (October 9, 2026)
- [Your mammogram report: what BI-RADS and breast density mean](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/your-mammogram-report-what-bi-rads-and-breast-density-mean): Your report uses a 0 to 6 scale called BI-RADS and includes a line about breast density. What each part means, and who decides what happens next. (October 7, 2026)
- [PET/CT explained: what the tracer does and how to prepare](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/pet-ct-explained-what-the-tracer-does-and-how-to-prepare): One exam shows where something is and how active it is. The tracer, the exams we do at Central, the 6-hour fasting rule, and what the visit looks like. (October 5, 2026)
- [Breast Cancer Awareness Month in El Paso: booking your 3D mammogram at Desert Imaging](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/breast-cancer-awareness-month-in-el-paso-booking-your-3d-mammogram): Four El Paso centers, evenings and Saturdays, about 10 minutes. How to request a screening mammogram this October, what to bring, and what happens after. (October 2, 2026)
- [Ultrasound: what it is, how to prepare, and why there is no radiation](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/ultrasound-what-it-is-how-to-prepare-and-why-there-is-no-radiation): Sound waves, warm gel and a handheld probe. What ultrasound shows, which exams need a full bladder or an empty stomach, and where we do it in El Paso. (September 30, 2026)
- [Screening vs. diagnostic mammogram: what the difference is](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/screening-vs-diagnostic-mammogram-what-the-difference-is): Same machine, same compression, different purpose. What makes a mammogram screening or diagnostic, what changes on the day, and who decides. (September 28, 2026)
- [Which Desert Imaging center does your exam? A west-to-east guide](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/which-desert-imaging-center-does-your-exam): Five centers across El Paso County, and not every exam is at every one. What each center does, with the address, so you drive to the right door. (September 25, 2026)
- [What to expect at your CT scan](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/what-to-expect-at-your-ct-scan): A CT scan is a few minutes on an open table. What the exam shows, what contrast is, how to prepare, which centers do it and what happens after. (September 23, 2026)
- [How to prepare for an MRI in El Paso](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-an-mri-in-el-paso): What to wear, what to bring, what to tell us before you arrive, and what the exam itself feels like, from check-in to the drive home. (September 21, 2026)
- [3D mammography vs. 2D: what the difference means for you](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/3d-mammography-vs-2d-what-changes-for-you): Both take X-ray pictures of the breast. One takes a stack of thin slices instead of a single flat image. Here is what that changes on the day and afterward. (September 16, 2026)
- [Do I need a referral for an MRI, CT scan or mammogram?](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/do-i-need-a-referral-for-an-mri-ct-or-mammogram): Usually yes, sometimes no, and the reasons are practical rather than bureaucratic. Here is how orders, referrals, and self-requests actually work at an imaging center. (September 9, 2026)
- [Open MRI in El Paso: what a wide-bore 3-Tesla MRI changes](https://desertimagingcenters.com/blog/claustrophobic-what-a-wide-bore-mri-changes): Desert Imaging has no open MRI in El Paso. Desert Imaging West has a 3-Tesla wide-bore MRI with a 75 cm opening and shorter exams for claustrophobia. (September 2, 2026)