Radiation diagnostics, radiation therapy - these are two components of radiology. In modern medical practice, they are used more and more often. This can be explained by their excellent information content.
Radiation diagnostics is a practical discipline that studies the use of various kinds of radiation in order to detect and recognize a large number of diseases. It helps to study the morphology and functions of normal and diseased organs and systems of the human body. There are several types of radiation diagnostics, and each of them is unique in its own way and allows you to detect diseases in different areas of the body.
Radiation diagnostics: types
Today, there are several methods of radiation diagnosis. Each of them is good in its own way, as it allows you to conduct research in a specific area of the human body. Types of radiation diagnostics:
- X-ray diagnostics.
- Radionuclide study.
- Ultrasound
- CT scan.
- Thermography
These methods of research of radiation diagnostics can allow to give data on the state of health of the patient only in the area that they are studying. But there are more advanced methods that give more detailed and extensive results.
Modern diagnostic method
Modern radiation diagnostics is one of the rapidly developing medical specialties. It is directly related to the general progress of physics, mathematics, computer engineering, computer science.
Radiation diagnostics is a science that uses radiation that helps to study the structure and functioning of normal and damaged organs and systems of the human body with diseases in order to prevent and recognize the disease. Such a diagnostic method plays an important role both in examination of patients and in radiological treatment procedures, which depend on the information obtained during the studies.
Modern methods of radiation diagnostics make it possible to identify pathology in a specific organ with maximum accuracy and help find the best way to treat it.
Types of Diagnostics
Innovative diagnostic methods include a large number of diagnostic visualizations and differ from each other in physical principles of data acquisition. But the general essence of all the techniques is the information that is obtained by processing transmitted, emitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation or mechanical vibrations. Depending on which of the phenomena form the basis of the received image, radiation diagnostics is divided into the following types of studies:
- X-ray diagnostics is based on the ability to absorb x-rays by tissues.
- Ultrasonography. It is based on the reflection of a beam of directed ultrasonic waves in the tissues towards the sensor.
- Radionuclide - characterized by the emission of gamma radiation by radioactive isotopes that accumulate in tissues.
- The magnetic resonance method is based on the emission of radio frequency radiation that occurs during the excitation of unpaired atomic nuclei in a magnetic field.
- Investigation by infrared rays - spontaneous emission of infrared radiation by tissues.
Each of these methods allows you to accurately identify pathology in the human organs and gives more chances for a positive outcome of treatment. How does radiation diagnosis reveal pathology in the lungs, and what can be detected with its help?
Lung examination
Diffuse lesions of the lungs are changes in both organs, which are scattered foci, an increase in tissue in volume, and in some cases a combination of these two conditions. Thanks to x-ray and computer research methods, it is possible to determine pulmonary diseases.
Only modern research methods make it possible to quickly and accurately establish a diagnosis and begin surgical treatment in a hospital setting. In our time of modern technology, radiation diagnosis of the lungs is of great importance. It is very difficult to diagnose in accordance with the clinical picture in most cases. This is because lung pathologies are accompanied by severe pain, acute respiratory failure and hemorrhage.
But even in the most severe cases, emergency radiation diagnostics come to the aid of doctors and patients.
In what cases is a study indicated?
The X-ray diagnostic method allows you to quickly identify a problem in the event of a life-threatening patient situation that requires urgent intervention. An urgent x-ray may be useful in many cases. Most often it is used for damage to bones and joints, internal organs and soft tissues. Injuries to the head and neck, abdomen and abdominal cavity, chest, spine, hip and long bones are very dangerous for humans.
An x-ray method is prescribed to the patient immediately after anti-shock therapy is performed. It can be carried out directly in the reception department using a mobile device, or the patient is taken to an X-ray room.
In case of neck and head injuries, a panoramic x-ray is taken, and if necessary, special pictures of individual parts of the skull are added. In specialized institutions, you can perform an angiography of the blood vessels of the brain.
When injuring the chest, the diagnosis begins with a panoramic x-ray, the pictures are taken from a direct and side view. For injuries to the abdomen and pelvis, an examination should be performed using contrast.
An urgent X-ray examination is also carried out for other pathologies: acute abdominal pain, blood spitting and bleeding from the digestive tract. If the data is insufficient to establish an accurate diagnosis, a computed tomography is prescribed.
X-ray diagnostics are rarely used in cases of suspected presence of foreign bodies in the respiratory tract or digestive tract.
For all types of damage and in difficult cases, it may be necessary to conduct not only computed tomography, but also magnetic resonance imaging. To prescribe a particular study can only be the attending doctor.
The benefits of radiation diagnostics
This research method is considered one of the most effective, therefore, considering its advantages, I want to highlight the following:
- Under the influence of rays, tumor neoplasms are reduced, part of the cancer cells die, and the remaining ones cease to divide.
- Many vessels from which food is supplied to atypical cells are overgrown.
- The most positive thing is the treatment of certain types of cancer: lung, ovary and thymus gland.
But not only the positive aspects of this method, the negative also exist.
Cons Diagnostics of Radiation
Most doctors believe that no matter how surprising this research method is, it also has its negative aspects. These include:
- Side effects that occur during therapy.
- Low sensitivity to radiation from organs such as cartilage, bones, kidneys and the brain.
- The maximum sensitivity of the intestinal epithelium to this exposure.
Radiation diagnostics showed good results in identifying pathologies, but not for every patient it is suitable.
Contraindications
This research method is not suitable for all patients with cancerous tumors. Assign it only in some cases:
- The presence of a large number of metastases.
- Radiation sickness.
- The growth of cancerous roots in the largest vessels and organs of the reproductive system.
- Fever.
- Severe condition of a patient with severe intoxication.
- Extensive cancer.
- Anemia, leukopenia, as well as thrombocytopenia.
- The collapse of cancerous tumors with bleeding.
Conclusion
Radiological diagnostics has been used for several years and has shown very good results in quick diagnosis, especially in complex cases. Thanks to its use, it was possible to determine the diagnoses of very severe patients. Even despite its shortcomings, there are no other studies that would give such results yet. Therefore, we can say for sure that at present, radiation diagnostics is in the first place.