“X-rays were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Roentgen, a professor who was working on emissions from electric currents in vacuums. While working, he discovered a glow from the barium platinocyanide coated screen. He continued to experiment and landed the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901” (Bansal, 2006). Over the years, many improvements have been made to Roentgen’s discovery and radiography is offered in every hospital around the world.
Nowadays, there are many different types of imaging we can do. These include fluoroscopy, CT scan, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound. Fluoroscopy’s significant use is it intensifies the image during orthopedic, vascular, urological procedures. It is also used for dynamic radiographic investigations. “CT is useful for evaluating soft tissue involvement of lesions or determining the extent of fractures. In general, CT is useful to add to the anatomic or pathologic information already obtained by conventional radiography” (Bontrager & Lampignano, 2010). “Nuclear medicine is more sensitive and generally provides earlier evidence than other modalities because it assesses the physiologic aspect rather than the anatomic aspect of these conditions. Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of radioactive materials to diagnose and treat disease” (Nuclear Medicine, 2013). “Ultrasound can be used in several different ways such as monitoring an unborn baby, diagnosing a condition or guiding a surgeon during certain procedures by using sound waves” (Ultrasound, 2011).
An important change came about with the development and common use of computer technology. “Such use of a filmless radiology department was very interesting to this medical field. Digital radiography was introduced in the mid 1980’s and now competes with screen film radiography in all radiographic applications” (Bansal, 2006).
Radiographs are essentially used for the diagnosis of many different diseases and injuries. “They have many different advantages such as their low cost, for the most part non-invasive nature, easy availability, relatively harmless, and fast imaging times. Put all this together with a clear, perfectly contrasted image it is no wonder why we use it” (Bansal, 2006).
Screen film radiography is still used more commonly than digital radiography. “Although there is a declining of popularity of screen film radiography mainly because there is limited potential for reducing dose to the patient. Also, unlike digital radiography, images cannot be changed in contrast once they have been processed. In screen film radiography, film is expensive, uses hazardous materials for processing, is very strenuous and long term storage is difficult. Lastly, screen film radiography is not compatible with the picture archiving and communication systems also known as PACS” (Bansal, 2006).
In order to really understand where medical imaging is currently at one must have a basic understanding of where it came from. Twenty years ago radiologist would read and dictate the images on film. They were able to accomplish this by holding the film up to light boxes. This method provided no way for the radiologist to interact or manipulate the images
The Tests that are done by MRI does much the same as the CT scan without using X-rays. CT scan and MRI are used in many medical specialties, in addition to the musculoskeletal system. MRI is extremely accurate when it comes to detecting dis...
Advantages to imaging using nuclear medicine is that it is relatively safer than other procedures, such as a biopsy, as it is non-invasive and painless and can detect the severity of a disease or issue and it can see how the disease has progressed in your body. This application can accurately identify the effectiveness of a treatment and whether it is helping or not (SNMMI,2014) Disadvantages could include a negative impact on health, especially when there is a build-up of radioisotopes present. Radioisotopes account for about 90% in the procedures for diagnosis of a disease or illness (World Nuclear Org,2014). The diseases or ailments that are typically diagnosed and treated with nuclear medicine procedures include but not limited to all...
The growth rate of radiological positions have an estimated value of 15-21% between 2012 and 2022, which is higher than normal. The growth rate is so high because of the growing number of aging people in America. This leads to the increase in salary of the average radiologist which is now at a whopping 350k. However, this is the result of long hours, night shifts, and a lower amount of vacations. This also depends where the radiologist works. He could work at a hospital, with the government, or own a private practice. With the new technology, scans can be done anywhere with a computer, high-resolution monitor, and internet. This practice is called telemedicine and can be done in even remote locations. These three factors are important to the everyday life of a radiologist and need to be considered
Marshall, G. W and S. Keene. “Radiation Safety in the Modern Radiology Department: A Growing Concern.” The Internet Journal of Radiology 5.2 2007: N. pag. 24 Apr. 2011 .
In general, technology is an essential factor for the average person’s daily schedule, from the use of a cell phone to the coordination of a GPS in the family car. As a result of the growth in modern technology, innovations in medicine have progressed extraordinarily in the past decade alone. For example, there is an extensive variety of imaging equipment applied to generate highly reliable results, such as the perceptive CT scan or the observant MRI machine. However, Sonography has stood out from other imaging methods when seeking a safe and affordable method of visualizing the body to assist in the process of immediate care. Ultrasonography, commonly referred to as Sonography, is a diagnostic medical procedure which utilizes high frequency
Interventional radiology advances came about during clinical situations that didn’t go as planned. They developed safer techniques to treat disease, and then improved the tools that made clinical events safer. Then the new and improved procedure is compared to the old ways. They compare them with clinical situations, which is more costly and which is safer.
CT scans and MRIs, or are incorporated into them in a different way for a clearer picture of what is
If this was a perfect world, the moment a person underwent a surgery there would be no risk of having after effects of a major surgery. The doctors would be able to diagnose, treat and cure patients without causing any harmful side effects but reality is the total opposite of this. There is something that is helping to improve the perfect world that we reside upon in the medical field with Medical Imaging this fact has been improving. The use of medical imaging has provided the opportunity to the doctors to see inside a patient without having to cut them open. Medical imaging is the visualization of body parts, tissues, or organs, for use in clinical diagnosis, treatment and disease monitoring. It has also helped on many other fields for example it the field of neurobiology and human behavior. Imaging techniques encompass the fields of radiology, nuclear medicine and optical imaging and image-guided intervention, furthermore medical imaging is justified also to follow the course of a disease already diagnosed and/or treated.
The West Virginia University School of Dentistry is considering the implementation of digital radiology into all academically related and patient care treatment programs. One department has already begun experimenting with the new technology with great success and very positive feedback from faculty, staff, students, and patients. In order to fully consider and address the various implications of implementation, Administration should don the "six hats" to perform a detailed analysis of the situation.
Radiology technology is a science of using radiation to produce images. There are many jobs you can perform in diagnostic imaging usually a radiologic technologist will oft...
Throughout time, the modern-day medical applications have undergone many accomplishments. Nowadays there are many opportunities to receive information about human bodies, with that being said, medical imaging has created a more efficient practice. Over time, a variety of different medical imaging have been developed, however each have their own disadvantages and advantages.
The radiographic images will show the technician what is going on in the body (Study.com). However the radiologic technologists have to follow the exact instructions so the patient will get the proper diagnose (Bls.gov). This can only be done if the technician places the patient's body in the right position for the procedure (Study.com). Then the equipment must be places with the proper height and angle over the patient to get an image that is clear
One of the most important concepts in healthcare is patient care. It is our responsibility as health professionals to provide the utmost care to each and every patient we come into contact with. This is especially important when it comes to radiology. As radiographers, we must abide by ASRT Code of Ethics and provide the patient with the best care while also minimizing the use of radiation when possible. Concepts such as shielding, ALARA, collimation, and techniques all play an important role in minimizing patient dose and providing protection to the patient. This section discusses many important concepts including the radiographer’s role in patient protection, methods to decrease exposure, methods of estimating dose, and patient dose pertaining
Every year around 62 million CT scans are performed compared with only 3 million in the year 1980. In addition, the researchers estimate that one/third of those CT scans are performed