What is radiology ?

What is Radiology?

Radiology is a medical sub-speciality that uses various imaging techniques to visualize inside the body which cannot be done by human eyes. It helps the physician or surgeon to make a diagnosis and decide on treatment. In the current scenario, it will be appropriate to say radiologists are the eyes of physicians and surgeons. 

Before radiology came into existence the only way to know what is happening in the body was by doing a surgery.  It all started with German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen who discovered X-rays in 1895. Since then, radiology has grown in leaps and bound with a wide array of Imaging technology available like:  X-ray radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  

Today the scope of radiology has widened and new sub speciality of radiology has emerged called as “Interventional radiology”. An interventional radiologist, non-surgically treats various disease in the human body by using minimal invasive techniques.  Idea is to diagnose and treat patients using the least invasive techniques. The aim is to minimize risk to the patient and improve health outcomes.

The actual investigation in medical imaging is most of the time carried out by the radiographer or radiologic technologist under supervision of a radiologist using his protocols customised for a specific information required. The diagnostic radiologist then interprets or "reads" the study and produces a report of their findings and if possible a diagnosis. 

Once a report is ready it is accompanied by a set of films, documenting the findings. This report is then read by the physicians and surgeons, which in conjunction to the patient’s clinical findings, laboratory findings and radiologist’s findings come to a final diagnosis of the patient’s disease and treat accordingly. The entire process is scientific and aims at improving health outcome in the patient with least intervention. 

As there are Specialist physicians like orthopaedic surgeons, cardiologists or gastroenterologist etc, radiologist are also now sub specialized.  The author of this blog himself is an abdominal radiologist. 

you can email me your questions, regarding a radiology exam.