The Most Common Types of Radiology Procedures

 Have you ever experienced being asked to undergo a procedure to check for a broken bone, or for a suspected mass or tumor in whatever part of your body? If you answer yes, then I'm sure you've undergone some type of radiologic procedure! According to medical experts, radiology is defined as a branch or specialty of medicine wherein images of the body's various organs are imaged, and interpreted in order to diagnose a disease or ailment. The professional who specializes in these types of procedures is called a “radiologist”. Read on to learn about the most common types of radiology Mackay procedures. 

X-rays

X-rays are a conventional form of radiology Mackay. The procedure involves penetrating the body with radio and magnetic waves, although a portion of the rays are absorbed by the tissue encountered. The unabsorbed rays are collected on film, or digital media,  to produce radiologic images. 

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is another common type of radiology Mackay, and is defined as a method wherein images of the human body are obtained through the use of high-frequency sound waves. In this procedure, the high-frequency sound waves play a vital role in generating real-time images. 

The good thing with ultrasound is that it does not use radiation, and is completely painless too. Ultrasound is used to examine various body organs like arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissue and muscle, the liver, bile ducts, spleen, pancreas and kidneys, and the genital organs including the prostate, testicles, uterus and ovaries. 

Mammograms

Mammograms are often hailed as the best friend or savior of women, as it generates images of the breasts to detect for the growth of potentially cancerous tumors. An additional test however may need to be performed depending on the result. 

Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI)

an MRI is a procedure which does not involve the use of X-rays, but involves the electromagnetic properties of the body when it's subjected to an intense magnetic field. The machine that's used to perform the MRI is a very powerful magnet, through which RF or radio-frequency waves pass. 

The machine which delivers the combined energy is then utilize to detect hydrogen atoms or protons in the body organs, and is followed by a computer which reconstructs images from the hydrogen protons distributed around the body. 

CT Scans

CT scans are another common form of radiology Mackay, which involves the use of a table for the patient to lie on, and a special radiologic device  with an opening in which the table will be inserted  during the examination. CT scans are deemed truly useful for imaging and analyzing various types of tissue like the lungs, bone and joints, blood vessels and abdominal viscera. 

Angiography

Angiography is another common radiology Mackay procedure today, which is helpful in examining the blood vessels to determine if there's arterial thrombosis, blood vessel malformations , bleeding or presence of tumors. The procedure is often executed under general anesthesia.

The Uses of Nuclear Medicine In Diagnosis & Treatment

What would our healthcare systems be without – X-rays!  According to health experts, radiation is a technique commonly utilized in nuclear medicine and radiology. And in nuclear medicine, radioactive elements called radioisotopes are introduced into the body, while in radiology X-rays enter the body from outside. Read on to learn more about the uses of Gold Coast nuclear medicine.

The Use of Nuclear Medicine in Patient Diagnosis

According to data from the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information, around 1/3 of all procedures in most modern hospitals involve radiation, and the procedures commonly offered are considered safe, painless and effective (And require no anesthesia). 

Gold Coast nuclear medicine  is utilized in patient diagnosis to ascertain and evaluate a wide assortment of medical issues or ailments. Here, patients inhale, swallow or get injected with what's called a "radiopharmaceutical, and after taking the substance the patients lie down on a table while a camera takes photos.

The camera focuses on the area where the radioactive material is concentrated, which will show the doctor what type of problem or issue there is, and where it's located. The common types of imaging techniques range from PET, or Position Emission Tomography and SPECT or Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography.

These procedures are very helpful in diagnosing heart conditions, cancer, gall bladder disease and thyroid disease. While diagnosing internal conditions in the past often required surgery, Gold Coast nuclear medicine  now makes this unnecessary.

Other types of imaging which involve nuclear medicine include targeted molecular ultrasound, which helps detect certain types of cancer, and magnetic resonance sonography, which diagnoses cancer and metabolic disorders.

The Use of Nuclear Medicine in Treating Patients

Gold Coast nuclear medicine  is also utilized in treating patients, where the radiopharmaceutical is either injected, swallowed or inhaled. An example of this would be radioactive iodine, which has already been used over 50 years to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. Today, it's also utilized to treat bone pain from certain cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 

Iodine-131 targeted radionuclide therapy or TRT is a method which involves the introduction of radioactive iodine into the body, and as the cancer cells or thyroid cells absorb the material, it eventually kills them. Iodine-131 is given in liquid form or in capsules.

In the near future, health experts stress that it may already be possible to embed Gold Coast nuclear medicine  into medication imaging agents which will not only attach to cancer cells. Through this, the procedure would eliminate only the target cells, and not the otherwise healthy or normal tissues or cells.

This procedure also helps reduce many of the more adverse effects of chemotherapy, and eventually save the lives of more patients. AI, or artificial intelligence, will also play a greater role in the future of radiology, which will help clinicians enhance efficiency and diagnostic capacity (As well as give radiologists more time for research and direct patient care).