What is a screening mammography?
Screening mammography is a low-dose X-ray examination of a woman’s breasts used to detect breast cancer when that cancer is too small to be felt as a lump. Screening mammography is carried out on women who do not have any symptoms of breast disease. The aim of screening mammography is to reduce the death rate from breast cancer by detecting…
What is a cardiac MRI?
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a high-strength magnet and radio waves to scan the body and produce images or pictures. MRI does not use ionising radiation, which is required for many other types of imaging, and is not known to have any long-term harmful effects. Cardiac MRI is imaging relating to the heart and how it is working. Most people are…
What is a dual energy CT scan?
Standard computed tomography (CT) scanners use normal X-rays to make cross-sectional ‘slice-like’ pictures or images of the body. A dual energy CT scanner is fairly new technology that uses both the normal X-ray and also a second less powerful X-ray to make the images. This gives dual energy CT additional advantages over standard CT for…
What is carotid stenting? Carotid stenting is when a small, expandable, thin wire device (called a stent) is placed into one of the main arteries that carries blood to the front part of the brain (carotid artery), as it has become partially blocked with abnormal thickening of the artery wall called ‘plaque’. If the supply of blood to the brain...
What is a nuclear medicine (NM) cardiac stress test? A nuclear medicine (NM) cardiac stress test assesses the blood supply to the heart and provides information about how the heart is working. Images (or pictures) are taken of the heart while at rest and after the heart is stressed. The stress is in the form of exercise on a treadmill...
What is a Nuclear Medicine VQ Scan? A ventilation–perfusion (VQ) scan is a nuclear medicine scan that uses radioactive material (radiopharmaceutical) to examine airflow (ventilation) and blood flow (perfusion) in the lungs. The aim of the scan is to look for evidence of any blood clot in the lungs, called pulmonary embolism (PE). A VQ scan is carried out in...
What is a coronary artery calcium scoring? A coronary artery calcium score is a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply the heart muscle. It is measured by taking a special computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart. The scan shows the amount of hardening of the artery wall (the disease that causes...
Paediatric (or pediatric) radiology is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology focused on children, from babies through to adolescents and young adults. Adolescents are referred to paediatric radiologists because developing bodies are more susceptible to the adverse effects of radiation than are adults of equivalent size.
Paediatric radiologists have specialised…
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Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty of radiology which involves the use of radioactive medication (radiopharmaceuticals) to diagnose and treat disease. These radioactive materials are usually injected into a vein, but are sometimes swallowed or inhaled.
A gamma camera tracks the movement of the radiopharmaceuticals from outside the body by detecting the gamma radiation…
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Neuroradiology is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology which focuses on diagnosing abnormalities of the head, brain, spine and neck using a range of neuroimaging techniques.
Neuroradiologists interpret neuroimages of the brain, spine and spinal cord, face and neck and peripheral nerves to diagnose strokes, tumours, genetic conditions, aneurysms, Alzheimer’s…
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Emergency radiology is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology. Emergency diagnostic radiologists are an integral part of a hospital’s emergency team and are directly involved in helping diagnose trauma patients.
Emergency radiologists use a range of imaging techniques to diagnose:
Body trauma
Heart and lung (thoracic) trauma and conditions
Injuries…
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Cardiac imaging is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology. A cardiac radiologist supervises or performs and then interprets medical images to diagnose diseases of the heart such as heart disease, leaky heart valves and defects in the size and shape of the heart.
A cardiac radiologist uses imaging techniques such as X-rays, ultrasound (echocardiograms), CT (computed…
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What is an angioplasty and stent insertion? Angioplasty and stent insertion is used to treat narrowing in an artery. Angioplasty uses a small, sausage-shaped balloon to stretch the artery open and improve blood flow. The stent is a small, metal cylinder that acts like a small scaffold to hold the artery permanently open. Angioplasty is the name of the procedure...