X-ray crystallography

The purpose of much research into radio-diagnostic error is to understand the visual search methods (process) and the perceptive and cognitive processes (performance) used in the interpretation of medical images. Investigation into the reasons for radiological error began more than fifty years ago after a study comparing radiological techniques failed to provide an answer because of significant variability in the performance of the subjects used for the task [1]. Results found that chest images…

The X-ray, also called the Röntgen ray, was invented by German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1985. The x-ray is undisputedly important and is used todays at airports and sporting events to check for weapons and dangerous substances and at hospitals in order to check for fractured or broken bones, internal damage, or items lodged in the digestive system. Despite the x-ray’s numerous and various uses, it’s discovery was unintentional. Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the x-ray while…

radiation naturally but other sorts are made in a lab for specific purposes like radiotherapy for the treatment of some sorts of cancer. Radiation as a medical treatment has been around for a long time. X-Rays as such were discovered in 1896 by Wilhelm Roentgen and as early as 1901 low dose X-Rays were being used to treat cancer. It was found early on that radiation seamed to treat diseased cells in the body and if a method could be found for confining their effect to the cancerous cells and…

Computed Tomography (CT), also commonly referred to as a CAT scan, is a medical imaging method that combines multiple X-ray projections taken from different angles to produce detailed cross-sectional images of areas inside the body. CT images allow doctors to get very precise, 3-D views of certain parts of the body, such as soft tissues, the pelvis, blood vessels, the lungs, the brain, the heart, abdomen and bones. CT is also often the preferred method of diagnosing many cancers, such as liver,…

Sagittal, coronal, and axial planes are all optimal diagnostic viewpoints. A Computed Tomography unit utilizes an x-ray tube and a detector array to find anatomic information from a patient. A typical repeating method that is required is an intravenous infusion of an iodinated contrast agent which helps to distinguish between pathology and ordinary tissue. Since the…

Ultrasound has been used for many years to help diagnosis. Ultrasound describes sound frequencies beyond the range of normal human hearing and 20 kilohertz. Ultrasound uses focused low-energy ultrasound waves to visualize the interior of the body in a noninvasive and painless way. Many people are to thanks for the evolution of ultrasound. Dating back to the 1700’s. Lazzaro Spallanzani in 1793 observed that bats function efficiently in the dark, even when blinded, but not if deafened. He…

Cranioplasty is the method of treatment of skull defects; it is required to protect the underlying brain, correct major aesthetic deformities or both (Pompili et al., 1998). Today, three-dimensional (3D) models of anatomical structures can be constructed based on anatomical information from scanning data coming from computerized tomography (CT). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is used to 3D modelling of soft tissues and computerized tomography (CT) for Hard tissues (i.e. bone) of the human…

the controlled exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light source, is used often in medicine for a number of reasons. For example, exposing the infant to ultraviolet rays or sunlight helps a jaundiced infant break down excess bilirubin or bile. Ultraviolet light has wavelengths in the 10 to 400 nm range (between visible light and X-rays in the spectrum). Lasers are used routinely to remove certain skin growths or even unwanted hair. They are also used widely in eye surgery and as a cauterizing…

Magnetic resonance imaging uses non-aggressive magnetic imaging technology to produce a three dimensional image of a bodily part. This is similar yet different to the use of x-ray imaging for similar purposes, however, MRI has no trace of the damaging ionizing radiation given off during the use of x-rays and CT scans. MRI is generally used for inspection and detection in the muscles, ligaments and soft tissue through the human body and can be used to monitor treatments, diagnosis of a patient…

desk doing the clerical work I was oh so familiar with yet now I am doing it for a radiology office. Since being at Bay Radiology I have had the opportunity to talk to the technologists about their different fields of work. I have seen and used an x-ray machine before and observed a few ultrasounds but what fascinated me was seeing the MRI machine and how it functioned. I’ve been a test patient a few times and was a bit wary about laying on a table and being slid into the center of this…