Imaging Tests and Its Types for Scanning Various Body Parts

In hospitals, many different types of examinations are performed to investigate conditions and injuries. Medical imaging techniques are required to enable doctors to offer the best advice on treatment options. There are various types of medical imaging techniques that are unique in terms of the images it gathers, the equipment it uses, and conditions it helps to diagnose.

To get a piece of detailed information on each and every technology of imaging test visit website and get a clear overview of them.  They are as below

  • X-Ray:

X-rays are quick, painless tests with a common procedure that get images of the inner body. It also uses radiation in the x-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum to produce images of the bones, usually to see if and where there are breaks. X-rays, which are also known as a type of electromagnetic radiation invisible to humans, pass through the body in an extremely fast manner and the whole procedure takes only a few minutes. The advantage of this machine is it does not surround the whole body, so it does not cause anxiety in people with claustrophobia. But too much exposure to unwanted radiation could potentially cause cancer which is the greatest side effect of x-ray.

  • CT Scan:

CT scan is a computerized tomography scan used to create a series of x-rays for cross-sections of the inside of the body and to get a detailed image of bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues. Even the upper body, such as the brain, neck, spine, chest, and sinuses are commonly scanned.

The patient will need to lie on a table that slides into the scanner, and the x-ray tube rotates around to take images. Doctors use them frequently to diagnosis, tumours, or to see broken bones. The scan usually takes from 10 to 20 minutes but the results are extremely fast compared to some other types of scans. The benefit of computerized tomography scan is that they are painless, as they are non-invasive.

  • MRI:

MRI is a magnetic resonance imaging scan that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create multiple detailed images of organs and tissues in the body. It uses a combination of a powerful cylindrical magnet and radiofrequency waves to generate an image of the body. It has loud tapping or thumping noises so patients wear suitable hearing protection devices such as earplugs or headphones.

MRI scans provide a detailed cross-sectional image of a part of the body with higher quality than a CT scan. They are basically used to get images of the brain, spinal cord, heart, blood vessels, different internal organs and to detect diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cord disorders, tumours and blood vessel issues. It takes about 15 to 90 minutes for the scan and as it is enclosing a lot of the body, it makes people with claustrophobia uncomfortable. 

  • Ultrasound:

Ultrasound is known as a sonogram and is a high-frequency sound wave image scan that is used to produce multiple images of organs and structures within the body. It produces images of unborn children in real-time and also used in the diagnosis of certain procedures for guiding surgeons. Such as gallbladder disease; breast lumps; genital/prostate issues; joint inflammation; blood flow problems etc. This scan can last from 15 to 45 minutes and the results are seen in real-time, so there is no need to wait.

  • PET Scan:

PET scans use radioactive drugs (called tracers) and can create a 3D image of the inside of the body to show how your tissues and organs are functioning. The patient has to swallow or have a radiotracer injected and the gamma rays pass through tissue and exit the body from where they are detected by a PET scanner.

These tests are done to detect the progress of cancer and can be used to get high-resolution images of the brain and heart. The PET scan takes about 30 minutes and can reveal the cell level metabolic changes occurring in any organ or tissue, which a CT or MRI cannot.