Table of contents:
- Radiological examination is an important procedure for diagnosing disease
- Division of radiology
- 1. Diagnostic radiology
- 2. Interventional radiology
- When to see a radiologist?
- Imaging technology side effects
- Technical preparation before radiological examination
Radiology is a branch of medical science to determine the inside of the human body using imaging technology, either in the form of electromagnetic waves or mechanical waves. Doctors who specialize in radiology are referred to as radiologists or radiologists.
The radiologist himself acts as an expert consultant whose job is to recommend the necessary examinations, interpret the medical images from the examination results, and use the test results to direct treatment according to the patient's condition. One of the most well-known types of radiological examinations is X-rays using X rays. Even so, radiological examinations are not only that. Check out other important information about radiology in the medical world below.
Radiological examination is an important procedure for diagnosing disease
In the medical world, radiology plays a very important role. Without imaging technology, the disease will be difficult to diagnose and existing treatments will not work optimally. As a result, more and more people get sick and die because their illnesses are not diagnosed early.
The key is simple, the earlier the disease is diagnosed, the patient's chances of experiencing a cure will also be even greater.
Some of the conditions that can be identified through a radiological examination are:
- Cancer
- Tumor
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Lung disorders
- Disorders of the bones and joints
- Blood vessel disorders
- Impaired liver and kidney function
- Disorders of the thyroid gland and lymph nodes
- Disturbances in the digestive tract
- Reproductive tract disorders
Division of radiology
Radiology can be divided into two distinct fields, namely:
1. Diagnostic radiology
Diagnostic radiology helps doctors and healthcare staff to see the structures inside your body using imaging technology. This is done to:
- Knowing the condition of the inside of the patient's body
- Diagnose the cause of the patient's complained symptom
- Monitor how well the patient's body is responding to treatment or medication
- To do screening for various diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, joint and bone disorders, epilepsy, stroke, infections, disorders of the thyroid gland, and so on.
The most common types of diagnostic radiology include:
- Computed tomography, as known as computerized axial tomography (CT / CAT) scans, including CT angiography
- Fluoroscopy
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
- Mammography
- Nuclear examination, like bone scan, thyroid scan, and a thallium cardiac stress test
- X-rays
- Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging, PET scan, or PET-CT when combined with CT
- Ultrasound (USG)
2. Interventional radiology
Interventional radiology allows doctors to perform minimally invasive (minimally invasive) medical procedures to both diagnose and treat disease. Guided by images obtained through imaging technology, doctors can insert catheters, cameras, cables, and other small instruments into specific parts of the patient's body. Compared to medical procedures that must involve open surgery, minimally invasive techniques carry less risk and faster recovery times.
Doctors who are experts in this field are often involved in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, blockages in the arteries and veins, fibroids in the uterus, back pain, impaired liver and kidney function, and so on.
Examples of interventional radiology procedures include:
- Angiography, angioplasty, and staging of blood vessels
- Embolization to stop bleeding
- Chemotherapy through arteries
- Needle biopsy of different organs, such as the lungs and thyroid gland
- Technique-guided breast biopsy stereotactic or ultrasound
- Feeding tube placement
- Catheter placement
When to see a radiologist?
Before finally a person is recommended to consult a radiologist, there are several stages of examination that must be undertaken. In the early stages, a patient will first undergo an examination at a general practitioner. If at this stage the general practitioner finds several symptoms that lead to certain diseases that require further examination, the general practitioner will refer the patient to a radiologist. The same thing can happen if you go to a specialist.
Later, the radiologist will carry out further tests to confirm the initial diagnosis made by a general practitioner or specialist. To confirm the diagnosis, the radiologist will usually perform the most appropriate examination to diagnose your complaint.
The results of examinations performed by a radiologist can provide additional information to a general practitioner or specialist who provides a referral to a radiologist.
Imaging technology side effects
Even though the examination performed with imaging technology is fairly safe, there are still some risks of side effects that might occur. Some of them include:
- Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, itching on the skin, feeling a metallic sensation in the mouth due to the contrast fluid injected into the body. In rare cases, contrast fluid can also cause blood pressure to drop drastically, anaphylactic shock, and heart attack.
- X-rays can affect the development and growth of babies and fetuses.
- There is a study that states that the CT scan procedure can increase the risk of cancer and can damage DNA, especially in pediatric patients. However, this risk is very small, it is only 1 in 2,000 cases. So, CT scan is still considered a fairly safe examination and can help doctors evaluate the patient's condition.
- Contrast fluid can cause allergies in some people.
Technical preparation before radiological examination
Basically, every procedure requires different preparation. Before undergoing a radiological examination, usually the doctor will tell the patient what to prepare. Here are some of the most common things doctors recommend:
- Wear comfortable, loose clothing that is easy to remove during the examination. Even so, some hospitals will provide special clothes for patients to wear.
- Removing jewelry, watches, glasses, or objects containing metal on the body. If you have metallic implantations in the body, such as a heart ring, or a nut in the bone, report it to your doctor immediately. The reason is, these objects will block X rays from penetrating into the body.
- The patient may be asked by the doctor not to eat or drink for several hours before the examination is carried out.
