X-Ray of a Human Skull

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Radiology

Radiology is the medical specialty directing medical imaging technologies to diagnose and treat diseases. Originally it was the aspect of medical science dealing with the medical use of electromagnetic energy emitted by X-ray machines or other such radiation devices for the purpose of obtaining visual information as part of medical imaging. Radiology that involves use of x-ray is called roentgenology. Modern day radiological imaging is no longer limited to the use of x-rays, and now includes technology-intensive imaging with high frequency sound waves, magnetic fields, and radioactivity.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (English spelling Roentgen) first discovered x-radiation on 8 November 1895 at the Physical Institute of Wuerzburg University.[1] He named the radiation he had discovered "X-radiation". This term is still in use today in the Anglo-American region. His work was first published in a meeting protocol of the Wuerzburg Physical-Medical Society in the 1895 volume; the article was submitted by W.C. Röntgen on 28 December 1895. Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of X-rays in 1901.

Today, following extensive training, radiologists direct an array of imaging technologies (such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) nuclear medicine, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) to diagnose or treat disease. Interventional radiology is the performance of (usually minimally invasive) medical procedures with the guidance of imaging technologies. The acquisition of medical imaging is usually carried out by the radiographer or radiologic technologist. Outside of the medical field, radiology also encompasses the examination of the inner structure of objects using X-rays or other penetrating radiation.

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Subdivisions

As a medical specialty, radiology can be classified broadly into Diagnostic radiology and Therapeutic radiology.

• Diagnostic radiology is the interpretation of images of the human body to aid in the diagnosis or prognosis of disease. General diagnostic radiologists may interpret studies in multiple fields commensurate with their training and expertise. Multiple sub-specialties exist however which require one and two year fellowships and further certification. These include;
  • Chest radiology.
  • Abdominal & Pelvic radiology. Sometimes together termed "Body Imaging."
  • Interventional radiology uses imaging to guide therapeutic and angiographic procedures. Also known as Vascular & Interventional radiology.
  • Neuroradiology involves the osseous spine and its neural contents, and head and neck imaging.
  • Pediatric radiology.
  • Musculoskeletal radiology.
  • Mammography and Women's Imaging.
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Ultrasonography

• Therapeutic radiology, Radiotherapy a separate specialty, utilizes radiation to treat cancer and other diseases. It is also known as radiation oncology.

Definition provided by Wikipedia

Radiological Images

The following imaging modalities are used in the field of diagnostic radiology:

• Projection (plain) radiography - Projectional radiography Radiographs (or Roentgenographs, named after the discoverer of X-rays, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845–1923)) are often used for evaluation of bony structures and soft tissues.


• Fluoroscopy - Fluoroscopy and angiography are special applications of X-ray imaging, in which a fluorescent screen or image intensifier tube is connected to a closed-circuit television system. This allows real-time imaging of structures in motion or augmented with a radiocontrast agent.


• CT scanning - CT imaging uses X-rays in conjunction with computing algorithms to image the body. In CT, an X-ray generating tube opposite an X-ray detector (or detectors) in a ring shaped apparatus rotate around a patient producing a computer generated cross-sectional image (tomogram).


• Ultrasound - Medical ultrasonography uses ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves) to visualize soft tissue structures in the body in real time.


• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) - MRI uses strong magnetic fields to align spinning atomic nuclei (usually hydrogen protons) within body tissues, then uses a radio signal to disturb the axis of rotation of these nuclei and observes the radio frequency signal generated as the nuclei return to their baseline states plus all surrounding areas.


• Nuclear Medicine - Nuclear medicine imaging involves the administration into the patient of radiopharmaceuticals consisting of substances with affinity for certain body tissues labeled with radioactive tracer.

Definition provided by Wikipedia