RADIOLOGY TESTS

Radiology is a speciality in medicine which images the body's organs to diagnose and treat diseases. Radiology uses several imaging technologies with sound, radio waves and X-rays.

Imaging technology tools and Radiologists plays crucial part in the diseases management for initial detection and diagnosis stage as well as staging the treatment process especially for cancer management or heart diseases. 

The improved image clarity and tissue differentiation in a number of situations has dramatically increased the range of diagnostic information and in many cases the demonstration of pathology without the requirement of invasive tissue sampling. Clinical information is important to correlate with the imaging findings, especially to avoid false positive imaging diagnoses.

Radiology divided in two areas diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology. Diagnostic radiology use techniques to investigate a patient's disease or injury where interventional or Therapeutic radiology, use of various kinds of techniques to treat a disease or injury.

Diagnostic radiology helps patients and doctors to see structures inside the body. Using the diagnostic images, the radiologist or other physicians can;  

• Diagnosing the cause of the symptoms or injured parts
• Monitoring how well your body is responding to a treatment for a disease or condition
• Screening crucial diseases , such as breast cancer, colon cancer, or heart disease

Diagnostic Radiology Tests can differ as follows;

Computed tomography (CT), also called computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan, including CT angiography - used 

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)  

Fluoroscopy, including upper Gastro Intestinal System and barium enema Mammography Breast Cancer 

Imaging Nuclear medicine, includes such tests as a bone scan, thyroid scan, and thallium cardiac stress test

Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging, PET scan, or PET-CT when it is combined with CT

Ultrasound 

Plain x-rays, which includes chest x-ray

Interventional imaging such as ultrasound, MRI, CT, X-Ray and fluoroscopy helps specialists and surgeons to guide procedures to detect or treat conditions in any part of the body. In these procedures instead of looking inside of your body with larger incisions like open surgery, smaller cuts and sometimes with a no incision solutions can be applied for treating the diseases in your body.

Interventional radiology treatments often involved in;

• Treating cancers or tumors, 
• Treatment of varicose veins,
• Percutaneous treatments for cyst aspiration in over cyst or kidney cyst,
• Embolisation treatments, 
• Fibroids in the uterus, 
• Pain treatments and many other health treatments for liver problems, kidney problems or bone problems.

Such treatments make no incision or only a very small one, are less risky, less painful and shorten the recovery time compared to traditional operations with only moderate sedation (relaxing and observing time).

Cancer treatments including tumor embolization using chemoembolization or Y-90 radioembolization

Tumor ablation with radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, or microwave ablation

Angiography or angioplasty and stent placement

Embolization to control bleeding 

Breast biopsy, guided either by stereotactic or ultrasound techniques