Radiology

Radiologist
Occupation
Names
  • Radiologist
  • Physician
  • Roentgenologist
Occupation type
Specialty
Activity sectors
Medicine
Description
Education required
Fields of
employment
Hospitals, Clinics
A radiologist interpreting magnetic resonance imaging
Dr. Macintyre's X-Ray Film (1896)

Radiology (/ˌrdɪˈɒləi/ rey-dee-ol-uh-jee) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but today it includes all imaging modalities, including those that use no ionizing electromagnetic radiation (such as ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging), as well as others that do, such as computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine including positron emission tomography (PET). Interventional radiology is the performance of usually minimally invasive medical procedures with the guidance of imaging technologies such as those mentioned above.

The modern practice of radiology involves a team of several different healthcare professionals. A radiologist, who is a medical doctor with specialized post-graduate training, interprets medical images, communicates these findings to other physicians through reports or verbal communication, and uses imaging to perform minimally invasive medical procedures[1][2] The nurse is involved in the care of patients before and after imaging or procedures, including administration of medications, monitoring of vital signs and monitoring of sedated patients.[3] The radiographer, also known as a "radiologic technologist" in some countries such as the United States and Canada, is a specially trained healthcare professional that uses sophisticated technology and positioning techniques to produce medical images for the radiologist to interpret. Depending on the individual's training and country of practice, the radiographer may specialize in one of the above-mentioned imaging modalities or have expanded roles in image reporting.[4]

  1. ^ The American Board of Radiology Archived 2018-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. Webpage of the American Board of Radiology.
  2. ^ "Radiology — Diagnostic Specialty Description". American Medical Association. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ^ Blevins SJ (1994). "The role of the radiology nurse". Radiology Management. 16 (4): 46–8. PMID 10139086.
  4. ^ Murphy A, Ekpo E, Steffens T, Neep MJ (December 2019). "Radiographic image interpretation by Australian radiographers: a systematic review". Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences. 66 (4): 269–283. doi:10.1002/jmrs.356. PMC 6920699. PMID 31545009.