{"id":5717,"date":"2021-12-09T13:04:19","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T13:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/medicine\/top-5-imaging-tests-and-what-they-are-for\/"},"modified":"2021-12-09T13:04:19","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T13:04:19","slug":"top-5-imaging-tests-and-what-they-are-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/medicine\/top-5-imaging-tests-and-what-they-are-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Imaging Tests (And What They Are For)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the world of Medicine, one of the most important concepts is that of clinical diagnosis, which are all those procedures through which diseases, disorders, pathologies or syndromes are identified in a patient who presents symptoms of suffering from said conditions. It is the previous and essential step before starting the treatment itself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now, this diagnosis, although there are times that it can be made through an external inspection of the body, seeing the clinical signs that the person presents or performing tests of the blood or other body fluids, there are many other occasions where this is not feasible and you have to resort to the famous diagnostic imaging tests.<\/p>\n

We understand by diagnostic imaging test all those techniques that, based on different technologies, allow obtaining images of the internal structures of the body, thus making it possible to obtain information about the state of internal organs and tissues without the need for surgical interventions to access them. .<\/p>\n

But, What kinds of imaging tests are there?<\/strong> How does each one work? What risks do they have? What are they used for? If you want to find the answer to these and many other questions, you are in the right place. And it is that in today's article, hand in hand with, as always, the most prestigious scientific publications, we are going to explore the most important information of the main diagnostic imaging tests: radiography, magnetic resonance, CT, ultrasound and scintigraphy.<\/p>\n

What kinds of imaging tests are there and what are they for?<\/h2>\n

As we have been saying, diagnostic imaging tests are all those techniques that make it possible to obtain images of the internal organs and tissues of the body in order to detect the presence (or non-presence) of different diseases in patients who show signs of suffering from a disorder in some of its internal structures.<\/p>\n

Now, beyond this general definition, each one of the diagnostic imaging tests that exist has specific characteristics and functions. The technologies, despite the common link detailed in the definition we have given, are very different. Therefore, we are going to analyze the particularities of all the different types of diagnostic imaging techniques.<\/p>\n

1. X-ray<\/h3>\n

An X-ray is a diagnostic imaging test in which these images are obtained by exposing the patient to a source of high-energy radiation, usually x-rays<\/strong>. The image obtained is in two dimensions and only requires the person to place the part of the body to be analyzed on a developing plate.<\/p>\n

It is a quick and painless technique used to obtain images of, especially, the bones. X-ray beams pass through the body and are absorbed in varying amounts depending on the density of the material they are passing through. Thus, less dense materials such as air in the lungs appear black; the relatively dense ones like the muscles or the corporal fat, of grayish color; and the densest, such as bones and teeth (or metals, if you have any), white.<\/p>\n

Its main and best known function is to diagnose bone fractures, that is, broken bones. But in his role when it comes to obtain images of bones and teeth<\/strong>, develops more functions: detect bone or dental infections, diagnose arthritis, determine bone density (to reveal the possible existence of osteoporosis) and detect the existence of bone tumors.<\/p>\n

At the same time, X-rays can also be applied to obtain images not of the bones, but of other organs of the body (although other techniques that we will see are better for this), in order to diagnose lung infections, congestive heart failure, breast cancer, obstruction of blood vessels, ingestion of indigestible objects and problems in the digestive system.<\/p>\n

In the doses and times of exposure to X-ray beams, X-rays are absolutely safe and, in addition to the fact that sometimes there may be allergic reactions (almost always mild) to the use of contrast (a dye that is injected into the blood for higher quality images), there is no health risk<\/strong>. Of course, they are contraindicated in pregnant women, in people with a history of allergy to contrast medium and in children, but more than anything because it is difficult for them to stay still.<\/p>\n

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2. Magnetic resonance<\/h3>\n

MRI is an imaging test in which magnets and radio waves are used to make images of the soft tissues of the body<\/strong>. It is a technique based on the properties of magnetism to reveal the structure and internal composition of the subject. A large magnet and radio waves are used to hit the person.<\/p>\n

In this sense, it is a scan in which the person lies down on a table that slides into the device, which is shaped like a tunnel. Once inside, the magnetic field realigns the water molecules in your body and the radio waves cause the atoms to produce very weak signals that allow the generation of cross-sectional images that can be reconstructed to obtain a three-dimensional image.<\/p>\n

MRIs last 15 to 60 minutes<\/strong> and they are used to detect pathologies in the organs and soft tissues of the body, an area in which other diagnostic techniques do not work as well. Thus, they allow the detection of pathologies in the cervical area, problems in the intestines, ligament ruptures, muscle disorders, brain injuries, heart damage, blood vessel problems, eye disorders, aneurysms, tumors, liver diseases, alterations in the ovaries, etc.<\/p>\n

Beyond the discomfort of staying still inside the tube for the duration of the test (something complicated especially for people with claustrophobia), there are problems if the patient has some metal in the body (let's not forget that the machine is a large magnet) and the same problem that we have mentioned about the contrast, it is a test that does not have any risk. In MRI, radio wave signals are simply picked up and translated into images.<\/p>\n

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3. TAC<\/h3>\n

The Computed Axial Tomography, better known as CT, is a diagnostic imaging test in which an X-ray equipment is used that consists of a machine similar to that of resonance. An x-ray tube rotates around the patient<\/strong>, continuously taking images on the same principle as radiography but allowing 3D images to be obtained faster than resonance.<\/p>\n

And it is that the images obtained (in the X-ray we only took a \"photograph\") are superimposed to have a three-dimensional image that allows us to observe bones, tumors, hemorrhages, deep infections, blood clots, signs of heart disease, diseases of the spinal cord, etc. It is, as far as detection is concerned, halfway between an MRI and an X-ray.<\/p>\n

It does not require that the person be immobile for a long time, since one of its main advantages is the speed with which the images are taken and reconstructed<\/strong>, in addition to the precision, quality and details of the same. In addition, nothing happens if the patient has an implant (something that is a problem in the MRI). And even if the exposure to X-rays is greater and longer than in an X-ray, the CT scan is still safe for health.<\/p>\n

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4. Ultrasound<\/h3>\n

Ultrasound is an imaging test in which high-frequency sound waves are used to produce images of internal organs<\/strong>. These waves, when sent through an instrument called a transducer, bounce off when they reach these internal structures, something that allows a visual reconstruction of the inside of the body.<\/p>\n

Also known as a sonogram, it is a diagnostic technique based on ultrasound to obtain images in two or three dimensions. Therefore, unlike radiography, we are not using radiation. In addition, it allows to obtain images in real time, being able to see the heart beating, the blood flowing or, in case of pregnancy, the fetus.<\/p>\n

And there are two main categories of ultrasound: that associated with pregnancy (to have information about the health, development, growth and gender of the baby<\/strong>) and that associated with clinical diagnosis, obtaining information on the state of internal organs such as the blood vessels, the heart, the bladder, the kidneys, the reproductive organs or the liver, seeing alterations and possible diseases in them. In addition, ultrasounds are perfectly safe for health, with no known risks.<\/p>\n

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5. Scintigraphy<\/h3>\n

Nuclear scintigraphy or scan is an imaging test in which radioactive material is used to, through a special camera, observe the functioning of the internal structures of the body<\/strong>. The patient receives a small dose of radioactive substance by injection (the most common), ingestion or inhalation and lies motionless on a table while the camera takes images.<\/p>\n

This substance is a radioisotope that, in Nuclear Medicine, is known as a tracer and that is distributed throughout the body, being captured by the different organs of the body. The detection of the images is done thanks to a camera that is capable of detecting the gamma rays (hence the name of the test) that this tracer is releasing.<\/p>\n

This is a technique used to diagnose bone cancers (or to see if a malignant tumor has spread to the bones), perform pulmonary perfusion studies, estimate the person's lung capacity, study the goiter and parathyroid glands, and detect thyroid problems, as well as associated metabolic disorders.<\/p>\n

The radiopharmaceutical takes about an hour to distribute through the body<\/strong> and the subsequent examination with imaging takes about 30 minutes. And although it is often a cause for concern, the truth is that these radioactive markers produce very little radiation exposure. It is a totally safe test beyond the inevitable risk that the person is allergic to the tracer, although in these cases the reactions are usually mild.<\/p>\n

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In the world of Medicine, one of the most important concepts is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}