Also called: Also called: Imaging
Diagnostic imaging refers to technologies that doctors use to look inside your body for clues about a medical condition. A variety of machines and techniques can create pictures of the structures and activities inside your body. The technology your doctor uses will depend on your symptoms and the part of your body being examined. X-rays, CT scans, nuclear medicine scans, MRI scans and ultrasound are all types of diagnostic imaging.
Many imaging tests are painless and easy. Some require you to stay still for a long time inside a machine, though. This can be uncomfortable. Certain tests involve radiation, but these are generally considered safe because the dosage is very low.
For some imaging tests, a tiny camera attached to a long, thin tube is inserted in your body. This tool is called a scope. The doctor moves it through a body passageway or opening to see inside a particular organ, such as your heart, lungs or colon. These procedures often require anesthesia.
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Diagnostic Imaging
(National Institutes of Health) - http://health.nih.gov/topic/DiagnosticImaging/
- X-rays, CT Scans and MRIs(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00188
- Imaging System Lets Doctors 'See' Cancer During Surgery(08/19/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68316.html
- Needle Biopsy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/needle-biopsy/MY00088/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS)(Harvard Medical School) - http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/video-assisted-thoracic-surgery.htm
- Doses from Medical Radiation Sources(Health Physics Society) - http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/dosesfrommedicalradiation.html
- Important Questions to Ask about the Quality of Your Imaging Examination(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/MainMenuCategories/PatientInfo/ImportantQuestions.aspx
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Radiation Exposure in X-Ray Examinations(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray
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What You Need to Know about Contrast Agents(American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/contrast_eng.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/contrast_span.pdf
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What You Need to Know about Tracing the X-Ray Trail(American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/xray_trail_eng.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/xray_trail_span.pdf
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Optical Imaging(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/OpticalImaging.pdf
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Point-of-Care Diagnostic Testing(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/PointofCare.pdf
- Article: Optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18781258&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Reproducibility of optical coherence tomography in multiple sclerosis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18779426&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Vibration response imaging technology in healthy subjects. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18716118&tool=MedlinePlus
- Diagnostic Imaging -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=diagnostic+imaging[majr]+NOT+(radiography[mh]+OR+magnetic+resonance+imaging[mh]+OR+ultrasonography[mh]+OR+radionuclide+imaging[mh]+OR+tomography,x+ray+computed[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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RadiologyInfo: Glossary of Terms(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/glossary/glossary1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/glossary/glossary1.cfm
- American College of Radiology Accredited Facility Search(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/accreditation/AccreditedFacilitySearch.aspx
- Center for Devices and Radiological Health - http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/
- RadiologyInfo(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/
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Keeping Kids Still during Exams(American Society of Radiologic Technologists) - http://www.asrt.org/content/ThePublic/AboutRadiologicProcedures/KeepingKidsStillDuringExams.aspx
Also available in Spanish http://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/patientpages/PedImmolizSP.pdf
- Radiology and Children: Extra Care Required(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/radiology_kids062308.html
- CT Scans - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ctscans.html
- MRI Scans - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mriscans.html
- Nuclear Scans - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nuclearscans.html
- Radiation Exposure - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/radiationexposure.html
- Ultrasound - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ultrasound.html
- X-Rays - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/xrays.html
- Diagnostic Tests - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnostictests.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Diagnostic Imaging is the National Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Bioimaging - http://www.nibib.nih.gov/