We all here the names of the various scanning techniques that are available these days, here’s a little insight as to what scan is needed for our various body parts:-
- Angiogram – Firtstly they put a special dye in through your blood vessels and into your heart. Then this dye shows up in X-rays and reveals the blood network, the doctor can then check for any blockages and help to prevent heart failure.
- Contrast Radiograph – this scan is used to reveal soft tissue and hollow organs. Barium sulphate, a substance that can be seen by X-ray, is introduced into the soft tissue making the structure visible. This includes the last intestine part of our digestive system.
- CT Scan – (computerised Tomography) this scanner sends of X-ray beams to work out tissue density. Then they use a computer to produce a ‘visual slices’ through the body which are then built into 3-d images.
- Endoscope – A long flexible tube with a camera is inserted into a body’s orifice (opening) to reveal internal structures.
- MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses magnets and radiowaves to produce a picture of soft tissue structures. Tunnel like scanners emit powerful magnetic orces and radio weaves which cause the body’s molecules to release energy. Then a computer analysis the energy to form an image.
- Radionuclide Scan – Bones, organs ad other solid body bits can be imaged using small doses of a radioactive substance. The body cells take up the substance and emit gamma rays that are detected by a gamma camera. This camera builds up a colour coded picture to reveal different levels of cell activity.
So a lot easier, cleaner and safer for doctors to check out their patients insides without using ‘the knife’!