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What is angiography? Angiography is the X-ray imaging of blood vessels using contrast agents injected into the bloodstream through a thin plastic tube (catheter) that is placed directly in the blood vessel. The images taken are called angiograms. Angiography provides information about blood vessel abnormalities, such as narrowing, blockage, inflammation, abnormal widening and bleeding, using a liquid contrast agent (known...
What is nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a medical speciality that involves giving a patient a small amount of radioactive medication, called a radiopharmaceutical. This makes the body slightly radioactive for a short time. A special nuclear medicine camera detects the radiation, which is emitted (released) from the body, and takes images or pictures of how the inside of the...
Interventional radiology is a medical specialisation that involves performing a range of imaging procedures to obtain images of the inside of the body. The interventional radiologist carefully interprets these images to diagnose injury and disease, and to perform a range of interventional medical procedures. Interventional radiologist use imaging techniques…
Health consumers informationWhat is contrast medium? Contrast media (sometimes called contrast agents or dye) are chemical substances used in medical X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), angiography, and occasionally ultrasound imaging. Contrast media enhance and improve the quality of images (or pictures), so that the radiologist (a specialist doctor trained…
What is an octreotide scan? Nuclear medicine uses radioactive materials to diagnose or treat diseases. An octreotide scan is one that uses radioactive material to detect certain types of cancers arising from the neuro-endocrine systems (this means cancers that relate to the interaction between the nervous system and hormones from the endocrine system – glands that…
What is a plain radiograph/X-ray? Radiography is the imaging of body structures, or parts of the body, using X-rays. X-rays are a form of radiation (X-radiation) similar to visible light, radio waves and microwaves. X-radiation is special because it has a very high energy level that allows the X-ray beam to penetrate through the body and create an image or picture. Plain…
What is traumatic vascular injury to the head & neck? Traumatic vascular injuries can be either: A blunt injury to the chest, neck or head, which can result in damage to the blood vessels supplying the brain and can be caused by: forceful compression or pressure from a seat belt during a motor vehicle accident; sudden movements such as bending and extending of the neck…
What is an X-ray examination? Radiography is the imaging of body structures using X-rays. X-rays are a form of radiation similar to visible light, radio waves, and microwaves. X-radiation is special because it has a very high energy level that allows the X-ray beam to penetrate through the body and create an image or picture. The image is created due to the X-ray beam being…
What is a cerebral perfusion study? A cerebral perfusion study is a nuclear medicine scan that looks at brain function by demonstrating the amount of blood taken up by the brain cells. Other tests such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show what the skull, brain and blood vessels look like but a nuclear medicine cerebral perfusion study can…
What is an intracranial (brain) aneurysm? An intracranial (brain) aneurysm is an abnormal ballooning of the wall of an artery, which is a type of blood vessel carrying blood to the brain. The aneurysm is like a small sac and is localised, meaning it is limited to a small area, within the artery. In the brain, these vessels carry blood to the brain at high pressure compared to…
What is embolisation of head, neck and spinal tumours? Head, neck and spinal tumours (or growths) can occur on the coverings of the brain called meninges as well as anywhere in the head or neck region. These tumours can also occur in the back bone (spinal column). Structures inside the spinal column such as nerves can also give rise to tumours. Often these tumours contain…
What is SAH Vasospasm Endovascular Treatment? Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is the release of blood into the space around the brain that contains fluid. It is within this space that the main arteries supplying blood to the brain are located before they enter the brain. SAH usually comes from a ruptured (burst) aneurysm on an artery. An aneurysm is a fluid-filled sac in…
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…
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…
Read moreNuclear 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…
Read moreNeuroradiology 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…
Read moreInterventional neuroradiology is a subspecialty of clinical radiology which involves using medical imaging tests in diagnosing and treating diseases of the central nervous system, head, neck and spine. Interventional neuroradiologists use cutting edge imaging and guidance techniques to guide catheters (very fine plastic tubes) and other tiny instruments around…
Health professional informationMusculoskeletal imaging is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology which involves ordering and interpreting medical images of bones, joints and associated soft tissues and diagnosing injuries and disease. Musculoskeletal imaging radiologists use: ● X-rays/plain radiography; ● Fluoroscopy (a continuous X-ray that creates moving images of the functioning…
Health professional informationEmergency 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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