Radiology is a branch of medicine that is responsible for taking images on the body to show the insides. This could be the bones or soft tissues, depending on what radiology department you are speaking about.  It is used to diagnose various diseases.  It helps doctors see broken bones as well as show new mothers their baby for the first time.  Radiology is used in a variety of ways in medicine.  There are different types of radiology, but basically they are broken down into two different sectors.  These sectors are diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology.

There are many different types of radiology techniques utilized in our radiology departments today.  You have probably heard some of the terms of the industry over time.  Things such as:

• Radiographic images or X-rays
• CAT Scan or CT Scan
• Ultrasonography (Ultrasound)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Nuclear Medicine images

Let’s take a look at these various radiology departments.

If you are having a child, you will get to know the ultrasound rather well.  This is where they check on the baby and mom from the inside.  You will see the baby’s heartbeat and the position of the baby.  It is used to look at the health of your lungs and heart.  There are many reasons for people to have any of the radiology services.  However, we will try to cover some of what each one is used to.

CT Scan gives slices of certain areas of the body.  This helps doctors to see how large a tumor is.  Or the chambers of the heart.  It slices through the body to give images that doctors can read via a computer.  MRI is very similar.  It is used to look at structures and organs inside the body without opening up the body.

MRI is used mostly for head injuries and head trauma.  It is used to diagnose stroke, multiple sclerosis, headaches, and dementia.

Let’s take a look further into X-rays

X-rays are mostly used for the bone structures and are the most common.  This is a simple process that many small businesses even have their own department on hand.  As x-ray has moved to digital it is very economical and safe.  This helps chiropractors, doctors, dentists, vets, and so many other small medical offices to diagnose right there on the spot.  As the x-rays went digital, there is less space needed for having this sort of department.  There isn’t any film or need for film development any longer.

All these images are much more developed than they have been in the past.  They can be enlarged, marked, and more due to the use of computers.  Computers have made radiology even better than it was ever before.  This area has improved how the doctors operate as well.

Radiologists are those specialized doctors that read the films, or in this case digital films.  They used to have to be on-site in order to read the actual films.  However, because everything has gone digital, there are services popping up all over that allow businesses to get a service, rather than employ their own radiologist.  Everything is much faster in the digital world.  There is no need to develop film, so it takes less time to do an x-ray.  There is a little waiting.