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. Two major examples of phenomena used to image in the cancer field are the positron emission tomography (PET) and the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The way that the “PET” works is that it creates computerized images of chemical changes, such as sugar in the metabolism, that take place in tissue. The radioactive sugar can help in the search to locating a tumor in a person’s body. Due to the reason that cancer cells take up or absorb sugar more avidly than other tissues in the body this is how the tomography is able to appear. If a tumor is present, the radioactive sugar will accumulate in the tumor. A computer translates this information into the images that are interpreted by a radiol...
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...gh there are no known harmful side-effects associated with exposure to medical imaging it’s never a bad idea to follow certain safety procedures depending on the medical imaging nuclear phenomena that is used to image. Also most of the staff who have been trained and educated to proceed and conduct medical imaging are not only prepared to provide the service of imaging but they are also familiar with being able to maintain the equipment that they are using. By the staff being able to conduct this it shows how serious the goal of providing the public with the best service and solutions is in the mind of the professionals. Without a doubt medical imaging purpose is to improve the life of all types of people by showing and providing the solution at an early stage to the public in general without having to undergo delicate and life risking procedures such as a surgery.
What needs to be assessed is how these full body scans are produced. It is produced through radiation through computed tomography. And, is the amount of radiation that a patient is receiving necessary. Radiation exposure is harmful. According to the FDA website
The MRI, on the other hand is less expensive and much safer (as it doesn’t expose the patient to potentially harmful radioactive chemicals). The MRI or magnetic resonance imaging device, as an safer alternative, applies a powerful magnetic field around the head of the patient.
The role of the radiologist is one that has undergone numerous changes over the years and continues to evolve a rapid pace. Radiologists specialize in the diagnoses of disease through obtaining and interpreting medical images. There are a number of different devices and procedures at the disposal of a radiologist to aid him or her in these diagnoses’. Some images are obtained by using x-ray or other radioactive substances, others through the use of sound waves and the body’s natural magnetism. Another sector of radiology focuses on the treatment of certain diseases using radiation (RSNA). Due to vast clinical work and correlated studies, the radiologist may additionally sub-specialize in various areas. Some of these sub-specialties include breast imaging, cardiovascular, Computed Tomography (CT), diagnostic radiology, emergency, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), musculoskeletal, neuroradiology, nuclear medicine, pediatric radiology, radiobiology, and Ultrasound (Schenter). After spending a vast amount of time on research and going to internship at the hospital, I have come to realize that my passion in science has greatly intensified. Furthermore, both experiences helped to shape up my future goals more prominently than before, which is coupled with the fact that I have now established a profound interest in radiology, or rather nuclear medicine.
Next, we will discuss the problems identified in the case study. The first problem is design deficiency especially in the MRI room and on the oxygen tank. As explained previously, there is poor communication in the MRI room due to the absence of microphone to inform the technologist in the console room about the existing problem. The oxygen tank meanwhile did not have a proper indication panel that informs the state of the oxygen level in the tank. Design deficiency is a major problem because in a state of inadequacy, needed materials for the safety and optimal environment cannot be
Recently, new advances have been made in PET technology. A pair of American scientists working in Switzerland came up with a combination PET/CT scanner, which effectively pairs the two techniques. This new combination will be very useful in cancer diagnosis. With the PET/CT, both anatomical and functional imaging can be done and reproduced on the same image. This will be helpful in pinpointing the location of tumors, and also for the early identification of tumors too small to be of concern in CT scanning.
Since the beginning of the propitious world, the core aspect that keeps it thriving is the propensity for people to discover innovations; however, progress of the past is, systematically, detrimental to the future. Not long after the revolutionary invention of the X-ray in the late 19th Century, an unprecedented number of medical examiners noticed (unknown to the time) radiation burns all over their body; decades later, an extraordinary surge in cancer cases had arisen. Perhaps, during the course of these years, scientists and researchers desired to further progress the x-ray (into the immense subsidiaries that are here today), and disregarded any flaws in the apparatus. This systematic inclination continues into the present time as Gary Marshall and Shane Keene notes in their 2007 article, “New technologies allow for patients to be overexposed routinely, and also allow for repeats to be taken quickly, making it easier for a technologist to multiply the patients dose without considering the implications” (5). The gaffes of radiology are present not only in the diagnostic setting, but also in the surgical and therapeutic areas. Working with radiation, it is imperative that the staff is aware of mistakes that are potentially fatal not only for patients, but themselves. It is especially important for medical radiologists to be cognizant of pediatric patients. The standard practice of pediatric radiology in the United States is to follow the step-by step formula from which adult patients are treated and diagnosed. There are copious consequences for following this technique since a child naturally has less body mass and a weaker immune and lymphatic system to manage radiation and its adverse effects. Medical radiology, being a...
One of the ways I am going to implement into my routine is stopping and asking what could cause these images to have a reduced quality and in what ways will I be able to prevent that from happening. The thoughts already run through my head quickly, however, I want to really focus on the individuals and base my opinion off of their actions as to what could go wrong. For example, if I had a patient who suffered from memory loss I might want to remind them several times throughout the procedure to try and remain as still as possible. Additionally, I want to continue to focus on ensuring I am taking all steps possible to obtain a good quality image by doing routine things such as explaining the procedure well to the patient, ensuring any material objects are not causing artifacts, and practicing safe handling of the radioactive pharmaceuticals to eliminate
This first form of surgery inspired many cultures and the Renaissance era because of the spark and curiosity of human anatomy, making the medical world today very advanced from years of anatomical studies and research. Not only did the new procedures and experiments quench their curiosity, it also healed people and made their lives more beneficial by raising their life
All in all, MRI is a great imaging modality to properly diagnose a patient. MRI has many advantages and does not use any type of radiation. Even though MRI has been around for about a century it has gained a lot of advancement in the image quality. MRI allows a wide variety of anatomy to be imaged such as soft tissue, spine work, and organs. Like any imaging modality MRI does have a couple of disadvantages, but the advantages out way the risks. MRI will continue to improve and will be one of the best imaging modalities in the medical field.
To begin with, how has technology changed the field of radiology? Since the discovery of X-radiation there has been a need and desire for studying the human body and the diseases without actually any intervention. Over the past fifty years there has been a revolution in the field of radiology affecting medicine profoundly. “The ability to produce computers powerful enough to reconstruct accurate body images, yet small enough to fit comfortably in the radiology department, has been the major key to this progress”(Gerson 66). The core of radiology’s vast development consists of four diagnostic techniques: computed tomography (CT), digital subtraction angiography (DSA), ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These methods of diagnostic imaging provide accurate information that was not seen before. Amid this information advancement, radiologists have broadened their role of diagnostician. Gerson writes, “With the advent of computer-enhanced imagery and new interventional techniques, these physicians are able to take an active part in performing therapeutic procedures”(66). A radiology breakthrough in 1972 was computed tomography discovered by Godfrey Hounsfield and Allan Cormack. Unlike standard radiography, computed tomography would spin the X-ray tube 360 degrees and inversely another 360 degrees while the patient ta...
For most of the diseases, nuclear medicine scans yield the most effective information that are needed in order to make a diagnosis and to determine proper treatment.1 Nuclear medicine produces the data that are mostly needed for any treatment of a disease. In this way, a surgeon who will be operating a patient can save time to determin...
MRI is a unique machine that not only helps people, but also detects if something is wrong inside a patient’s body. MRI machines are getting more advanced each year and every year it saves lives. According to MedicineNet, “It provides valuable information on glands and organ within the abdomen, and accurate information about the structure of the joints, soft tissues, and bones of the body. Often, surgery can be deferred or more accurately directed after knowing the results of an MRI scan.” Doctors will be doing less guessing and more knowing when it comes to surgery.
It typically uses radio active drug/tracer to show this activity. The tracer is typically injected, swallowed, or inhaled depending on which organ(s) is being studied by the PET scan. PET scans are used when revealing or evaluating several conditions which include: cancers, heart diseases and brain cancers. PET scans provide information different from that uncovered by other types of scans. Cancer shows up as bright spots on PET scans, because they have a higher metabolic rate than normal cells. The only health risk associated with this particular scan is related to the tracer. It may cause a major allergic reaction, which is rare in many cases. It exposes your unborn baby ( if pregnant) to radiation. If your breast feeding, it may expose your child to radiation as
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...
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/