How can Images Improve Medical Workflow?
Images of human anatomy have been around for more than 500 years now. From the sketches created by Leonardo da Vinci, to the modern day Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, images have played a great role in medicine. Evolution in medical imaging brought together people from various disciplines such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, a collaboration which has further contributed to healthcare as a whole. Modern day imaging improves medical workflows by facilitating a non-invasive insight into human body, accurate and timely diagnostics, and persistence of an analysis.
Before the discovery of X-rays in 1895, it was impossible to look inside human body, without causing harmful side effects. The famous quote of Anna Bertha Ludwig - “I have seen my death” is a testimony to this. In ancient times, the only way to study internal human organs was the dissection of dead bodies. Additionally, this was also subject to availability or religious beliefs. Leonardo da Vinci made 240 detailed sketches between 1510 and 1511, which were way ahead of their time. Unfortunately, it could not be published, except for a small amount in 1632. Images aide in visualization of illnesses (e.g. a malignant tumor), which are impossible to observe from outside of the body. A surgeon must know the various attributes of the tumor like location and size, before she can operate on it. Similarly an oncologist needs this information to decide the course of treatment e.g. tumor size and metabolic activity may be needed to determine the number of chemotherapy sessions. With images, all this information can be obtained without cutting open the patient. And what’s remarkable is that u...
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d) Beyer T, Freudenberg L, Townsend D, Czernin J (2010). The future of hybrid imaging—part 1: Hybrid imaging technologies and SPECT/CT. Insights Into Imaging: 1-9. [PMC free article]. URL http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3288981/
e) Ghosh, P. & Kelly, M. (2010). Expanding the power of PET with PERCIST. [Siemens Healthcare White Paper]. URL http://usa.healthcare.siemens.com/siemens_hwem-hwem_ssxa_websites-context-root/wcm/idc/groups/public/@us/@imaging/@molecular/documents/download/mdaw/nduz/~edisp/white_paper_10_percist-00309714.pdf
f) Markel, H. (2012). ‘I have seen my death’: How the world discovered the X-ray. [PBS.org Article]. URL http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/i-have-seen-my-death-how-the-world-discovered-the-x-ray/
g) Wikipedia. (2014). Leonardo da Vinci. [Wiki Page]. URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
The description of PET scans in detail requires the understanding of the radioactive substance injected into the subject. First, a small amount of a biochemical substance is tagged with a positron-emitting radioisotope. A positron is an “anti-electron.” Positrons are given off during the decay of the nuclei of the radioisotope. When the positron emitted collides with an electron in the tissue of the subject, both the positron and the electron are annihilated. When this happens, the collision produces two gamma rays having the same energy (511 KeV), but going in opposite directions.
by the internal computers of the instrument, to create an image of internal body tissues. These images were then displayed on the screen for the user,
The daguerreotype served as a medium for two fundamental forms of expression in the early days – in the field of both the arts and sciences (Daniel, 2004). Daguerre discovered that he could capture images of artistic sculptures so that people could appreciate art even though they were not physically present at the location of the art piece, he also realised that it could be used as a scientific tool where the daguerreotype could capture images through microscopes and other scientific devices so that people did not have to possess any scientific equipment to view the generated images (Daniel, 2004). The unprecedented ability to reproduce a certain image that once could only be viewed through the human eye and stored in the human brain made the daguerreotype a phenomenal invention.
An example case that proves the new viewpoint and usage of these X-rays on the human body and medical sciences, was when a few days after Roentgen's initial public announcement of his discoveries, a doctor in America took X-ray photographs of a person with gunshot wounds in his hands.
Dubey, R.B., et al. “The Current CAD and PACS Technologies in Medical Imaging.” International Journal of Applied Engineering Research 4.8 (2009): 1439-1456. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
A computerized Axial tomography scan is medical equipment used to image different regions of a human body as well as other animals with internal health problems. A CAT scan uses the idea of conventional X- ray imaging to a higher standard. Instead of just taking pictures of the different body part of interest, the CAT scan takes multiple pictures of the body at many different angles and creates a three dimensional structure of the body. This three dimensional structures show’s a complete body components starting with the bone, tissues, muscles and even vessels at organ level. This can help doctors examine each slide of skin at a time so that way they can pinpoint specific problem to specific regions and find the right solutions to various problem they encounter.
Cardiology and Infectious Diseases PET scans are very imperative when it comes to the study of cardiovascular diseases, especially atherosclerosis, which can be tested using an 18-F fluoride emission (Joshi et al., 2014). However, the cost-effectiveness of the PET scan is in doubt when compared to other tomographies. The imaging of infections allows for the improvement of treatment follow-up and diagnosis. Through the use of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), physicians have been able to image bacterial infections, which allow them to detect inflammatory responses. The mapping of bacterial infections in vivo has improved the treatment of infectious diseases.
First, I will begin by introducing the correlation between anatomy and the pet population. T...
Rembrandt was known for his expressive use of light and shadow in his paintings. His painting, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is an important example of medical progression. It is a group portrait of surgeons who are participating in a public dissection of a cadavers left arm being examined. The Netherlands in the 17th century was largely Protestant and art was no longer created for the Church. Artist look to merchants and professionals for patronage. During the Renaissance, artists explore the human body and then in Baroque era they begin somewhat a scientific exploration of the human body. Like Michelangelo, he dissected corpses in private so he can have a better understanding of the human
Radiology is one of the few so-called “physical-science”-based fields of medicine, making it a challenging and rewarding application of an academic interest in science. It combines advanced knowledge of human physiology with principles of atomic physics and nuclear decay, electricity and magnetism, and both organic and inorg...
Vesalius knew that the only way to know how many livers a human has is to cut someone open and find out. (Vardo 65) When he looked into a cadaver it was discovered that there was only one liver; Galen’s theory was incorrect. (Gates 10) Not only did dissection correct the mistakes of our body structure, but many discoveries were made as
First, scientists and doctors know how to cure our diseases is based on his/her knowledge of anatomy; our body structure and the way it is build. Anatomy is a branch in science where individuals study body structure of humans, animals, and any other living things around the world. Anatomy focuses on dissecting parts that are in living organisms such as frogs or cats. On the other
In addition, the fact that I could see how does a body looks like when it faces medical problems such as obesity, arthritis, several cancers such as breast and colon cancer, bone fractures, osteoporosis and many other diseases, cr...
CTscans stands for “Computed Tomography”. It is a way of looking inside your body using a special camera. It is an advanced scanning x-ray and computer system that makes detailed pictures of horizontal cross-sections of the body, or the part of the body that is x-rayed. A CT scan is a diagnostic test that combines the use of x-ray with computer technology. A series of x-beams from many different angles are used to get these cross-sectional images of the patient’s body. In a computer, these pictures are assembled into a 3-dimentianal picture that can display organs, tissues, bones, and any such thing. It can even show ducts, blood vessels and tumors. One of the advantages of CT is that it clearly shows soft tissue structures (such as brain), as well as dense tissue structure (such as bone). The pictures of a Ctscanner are a lot more detailed than the pictures of a regular X-ray machine. It can make pictures of areas protected or surrounded by bones, which a regular X-ray machine can not. Because of this, a CT scanner is said to be 100 times as affective and clever as an ordinary X-ray, and can therefore diagnose some diseases a lot earlier and quicker. It is recent technology that has made it possible to accurately scan objects into a computer in three dimensions, even though the machines and ideas were developed in the 1970s. In the 70s doctors started to use this new type of machine that could give detailed pictures of organs that the older type of x-ray, machine could not give.
But In November 8, 1895 a moment that revolutionized the world of Science, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen had discovered what he called X-rays. He was working in his laboratory operating one of Crooke’s tube which is the main source of cathode rays. The room was dark and when he exposed the rays he noticed that a paper made of barium platinocyanide was glowing. Rontgen try the experiment several times until he concluded that it was a new kind of ray rather than just light or electricity emitting from Crooke’s tube. He also concluded with his experiments that different kind of materials had a different degree of penetration depending on the density of the material. As he continued with his experiments he placed his wife’s hand on a image receptor and exposed the hand with the x-ray. The image was developed and was another proof of the discovery of x-rays when her hand showed the bones along with a ring she was wearing. During this time, Rontgen and his fellow colleagues didn't know about the fatal consequences of radiation. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen died in Munich, Germany in February 10, 1923. The reason of his death was carcinoma of the intestines. Coincidence, probably