Types of Medical Scanners Rovich
MEDICAL SCANNERS
Medical scanner is also known as Medical Imaging. Medical Imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to reveal internal structures hidden by the skin and bones, as well as to diagnose and treat disease. Medical imaging also establishes a database of normal anatomy and physiology to make it possible to identify abnormalities. Although imaging of removed organs and tissues can be performed for medical reasons, such procedures are usually considered part of pathology instead of medical imaging. Might also Interest you: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOSPITAL AND DIAGNOSTIC CENTRE
TYPES OF MEDICAL SCANNERS
Various types of diagnostic imaging tools allow doctors to look inside your body for more information about your health. Some of the most used diagnostic imaging tools include the following:
X-RAYS
This type of scan is performed using electromagnetic radiation. X-rays are often used to determine broken bones, pneumonia, and tumors. Mammography is a type of X-ray scan of the breast. An X-ray is one of the fastest types of medical scans that can be performed. X-rays involve targeting a small amount of radiation toward the body where images are needed. To do this, the radiologic technologist needs to make sure the patient is not wearing jewelry or tight-fitting clothes that could impair the quality of the images. Then getting the patient in the correct position is necessary. Once all of that is squared away, it’s time to take some pictures of what’s going on inside the body.
CT SCANS
Also called CAT scans, computed tomography (CT) scans take X-rays and filter them through computerized technology to create a 3-D view of the patient’s organs.The CAT scanner is a large donut-shaped machine, in which the patient travels through the center as the scanner takes images. For certain tests, the patient may drink an oral contrast dye or receive an injection of contrast dye, which helps show what’s happening inside the body. Once everything is ready, the technologist positions the patient on the scanner bed and leaves the room. From a control room, the technologist operates the scanner, which slowly moves the patient through the center.
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnets and computerized equipment to take pictures inside of a patient’s body. It does not use radiation of any kind, which makes it preferable for many people.
Patients lay on a table that travels through a tube. The technologist positions the patient so that the area of the body being examined is placed over the magnet. Some patients feel claustrophobic during an MRI, so the technologist may have to comfort some individuals prior to the procedure. MRIs can be fairly noisy, so earplugs or earmuffs may be fitted. Two-way transmitters allow for communications between the patient and technologist during the exam.
For some MRI scans, the physician will request a gadolinium dye injection. This will help the physician in diagnosing any areas of concern, because it helps to provide contrast in the MRI scans.
MAMMOGRAM
Two types of mammograms are offered in the battle against breast cancer: screening and diagnostic mammograms. Screening mammograms are used to first detect any abnormalities. Diagnostic mammograms check for malignancy after a lump or thickening in the breast has been detected. Early detection of cancer is essential in the fight against breast cancer.
Technologists will use different best practices depending on whether a screening or diagnostic exam is being performed. Screening exams typically involve a couple images of each breast. But diagnostic exams are more extensive, with the technologist taking more images from multiple angles. Magnified images are also taken so that physicians can examine suspicious areas.
ULTRASOUND
Sometimes called a sonography, an ultrasound captures images from within the body with the use of high-frequency sound waves. It’s often used to detect concerns with soft tissues such as organs and vessels.
Although it is best known for its role in viewing a fetus during pregnancy, this diagnostic imaging technique is also used for viewing the:
- Thyroid
- Kidneys
- Breasts
- Testicles
- Gallbladder
- Blood vessels
- Pancreas
- Liver
- Prostate
- Ovaries
- Uterus
FLUOROSCOPY
While other tests are comparable to still photography, a fluoroscopy is like a motion picture of bodily functions. That’s because a fluoroscopy shows moving body parts. The procedure is often done with contrast dyes, which show how they flow through the body. While all of this is being done, an X-ray beam sends signals to a monitor. Fluoroscopies are used to evaluate both hard and soft tissue, including bones, joints, organs and vessels. Blood flow exams often involve fluoroscopy.
The technologist starts by positioning the patient on the exam table. Unlike many other exams in which the patient is asked to be motionless, the technologist may ask the person to move during the fluoroscopy to get an idea how the body is reacting to motion. Fluoroscopy itself is not painful, but injecting contrast dyes into the body can be, so technologists may need to offer comfort remedies.
PET SCANS
A PET scan, also known as positron emission tomography scan, is like disease detection in the body, revealing problems happening at the cellular level. The procedure involves introducing radioactive tracers into the body. With the use of a PET scanner, the tracers uncover problems that otherwise could go undetected until they worsen.
Depending on the procedure, tracers can be introduced one of three ways: Injection in a vein, inhalation of a gas or drinking a special mixture. It takes a while for tracers to travel within the body, so there is about an hour wait before the scan can happen. When it’s time, the patient will lay down on a table that moves through an O-shaped machine. The technologist instructs the patient when to be motionless and when to hold one’s breath.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, through our research and our interviews with academics, it is now extremely clear to us that the creation and evolution of Medical Imaging has been critical to modern medicine and medical research. Without medical imaging, nothing would be known about the human body or issues surrounding it without invasive surgery. It is the basis of modern medicine, diagnosis of certain things would be near impossible without Medical Imaging technologies like X-Ray, Computer Tomography and MRI scans, unless dangerous surgery would be conducted. Medical and scientific research would be extremely limited without being able to see the incredibly small ‘building blocks’ that make up everything. With Medical Imaging, diseases can be easier to cure than ever before. The development of Medical Imaging looks like it can only improve in the future. With so advanced technology like Free-electron Lasers and the synchrotron, you could not say that there is no chance any disease cannot be cured. Medical Imaging has and will save millions of lives, possibly billions.
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