Medical Imaging Modalities
Modality↕ | Technology↕ | Year Invented↕ | Best For↕ | Radiation↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
X-Ray (Radiography) | Ionizing radiation through body onto film/detector | 1,895 | Bone fractures, chest infections, dental cavities | Low dose ionizing | First medical imaging ever, Wilhelm Roentgen won first Nobel Prize in Physics for it |
CT Scan (Computed Tomography) | Rotating X-ray beam with computer reconstruction | 1,971 | Trauma, cancer staging, internal bleeding, pulmonary embolism | Moderate ionizing (100-1000x single X-ray) | Cross-sectional slices of the body, can scan entire torso in seconds, EMI funded it with Beatles profits |
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) | Strong magnetic field + radio waves | 1,977 | Brain, spinal cord, joints, soft tissue tumors | None (non-ionizing) | No radiation, exquisite soft tissue contrast, loud banging noise, patients cannot have metal implants |
Ultrasound (Sonography) | High-frequency sound waves | 1,956 | Pregnancy, gallstones, heart valves, thyroid | None | Safe for fetuses, real-time imaging, portable and inexpensive, first baby picture tradition |
PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography) | Radioactive tracer (FDG) detected by gamma cameras | 1,975 | Cancer detection, brain disorders, heart disease | Moderate (injected radiotracer) | Shows metabolic activity not just structure, cancer cells light up because they consume more glucose |
Mammography | Low-dose X-ray of breast tissue | 1,969 | Breast cancer screening | Low dose ionizing | Gold standard for breast cancer screening, 3D tomosynthesis improves detection by 40% |
Fluoroscopy | Continuous X-ray beam producing real-time video | 1,896 | Barium swallow, angiography, joint injections, stent placement | Moderate to high ionizing | Live X-ray movie, essential for interventional procedures, higher radiation than single X-ray |
DEXA Scan | Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry | 1,987 | Bone density measurement, osteoporosis screening | Very low ionizing | T-score determines osteoporosis diagnosis, quick 10-minute scan, fraction of a chest X-ray dose |
Nuclear Medicine (SPECT) | Gamma camera detects injected radioisotopes | 1,963 | Heart perfusion, thyroid function, bone infection | Low to moderate (injected tracer) | Technetium-99m is most used medical isotope, shows organ function rather than anatomy |
Echocardiography | Cardiac ultrasound with Doppler flow | 1,953 | Heart valve disease, heart failure, congenital defects | None | Real-time heart chambers in motion, color Doppler shows blood flow direction, bedside portable |
Angiography (DSA) | X-ray with injected contrast dye into blood vessels | 1,927 | Blocked arteries, aneurysms, vascular malformations | Moderate to high ionizing | Catheter threaded from groin to target vessel, can treat blockages during same procedure |
OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) | Near-infrared light interferometry | 1,991 | Retinal disease, coronary artery plaques | None (light-based) | Microscopic cross-sections of retina, revolutionized ophthalmology, resolution 10x better than ultrasound |
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) | Ultrasound transducer on endoscope tip | 1,980 | Pancreatic tumors, bile duct stones, GI wall staging | None | Gets ultrasound probe inside the body for close-up views, can biopsy during same procedure |
Elastography | Ultrasound or MRI measuring tissue stiffness | 1,991 | Liver fibrosis, breast lesions, thyroid nodules | None | Non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy, FibroScan brand widely used, measures tissue hardness |
Cone Beam CT (CBCT) | Cone-shaped X-ray beam with flat panel detector | 1,998 | Dental implant planning, orthodontics, ENT sinus imaging | Low ionizing (less than medical CT) | 3D dental imaging in a single rotation, fits in a dentist office, standard before implant surgery |
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