Radiology, Diagnostic, Nuclear

General or Other | Radiology, Diagnostic, Nuclear (Medicine Field)


Description

Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualised within the human body. Interventional radiology is the performance of (usually minimally invasive) medical procedures with the guidance of imaging technologies.

Diagnostic radiology is the process of creating images of the body, its organs, and other internal structures with external radiation. Diagnostic radiology techniques include the use of X-ray tubes that emit radiation, radionuclide, ultrasonographic devices, and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. Techniques are generally non-invasive, meaning the body is not entered with any equipment or cut open for imaging. However, certain procedures do combine diagnostic radiology techniques with minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat a condition. In addition, diagnostic radiology is often used to assist during minimally invasive surgery.

Many different diagnostic scans and procedures are also performed in nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine imaging involves the administration into the patient of radiopharmaceuticals consisting of substances with affinity for certain body tissues labelled with radioactive tracer. While anatomical detail is limited in these studies, nuclear medicine is useful in displaying physiological function. These scans are used to diagnose, manage, and treat medical disorders and diseases.

Acquisition of radiological images is made by using the following imaging modalities: Projection (plain) radiography, Fluoroscopy, Interventional radiology, Computed tomography (CT), Ultrasound, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Nuclear medicine, Tele-radiology. In many centres, nuclear medicine images can be superimposed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce special views. These views allow the information from two different exams to be correlated and interpreted on one image, leading to more precise information and accurate diagnoses. An emerging imaging technology, but not readily available at this time is PET/MRI. ...