What is Radiology? What’s Its Role in Healthcare?

Posted on: Dec 2, 2022 | | Written by:

What is Radiology? What’s Its Role in Healthcare?

Published on December 01, 2022. EST READ TIME: 4 minutes

How often have we gone to the doctor with an injury or an ailment and been asked to get an X-Ray or a CT scan done? Well, these tests involve diagnostic imaging or Radiology, which helps doctors come to an absolute conclusion about the cause of the ailment or impact of an injury. Radiology helps in early diagnosis, and it saves lives. Without proper diagnosis, there can be no treatment or wrong treatment. If you want to protect your savings from expenses incurred on tests and treatment, it’s better to buy critical illness insurance policies or as an add-on to your existing health plan. For dependent parents, buy senior citizen health insurance plans to take care of their specific health needs.

What is Radiology?

Radiology, a branch of medicine, involves a series of tests which capture images of various parts of the body. These images help in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Also known as diagnostic imaging, many of the tests allow doctors to see inside the body. The imaging techniques or tests used in radiology are X-rays, Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, Nuclear Medicine scans, Mammography, Fluoroscopy, and PET scan.

Types of Radiology

•Diagnostic Radiology:

In Diagnostic Radiology, a radiologist uses non-invasive procedures or techniques to get highly detailed images of the inside of a body. These images help diagnose any disease or injury, such as cancer, broken bones, blood clots, heart conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, etc. Diagnostic radiology can help a doctor diagnose the cause of your symptoms and monitor how well your body is responding to treatment. Radiology, a branch of medicine, involves a series of tests which capture images of various parts of the body. These images help in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Also known as diagnostic imaging, many of the tests allow doctors to see inside the body. The imaging techniques or tests used in diagnostic radiology are X-rays, Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, Nuclear Medicine scans, Mammography, Fluoroscopy, and PET scan.

•Interventional Radiology:

Interventional radiology uses imaging techniques such as MRI, CT scans, and ultrasound as a guide for medical procedures. The procedures are minimally invasive surgical procedures in which small incisions, usually on the abdomen, are made to treat conditions like uterine fibroids, cancers, tumours, blockages in the arteries and veins, liver and kidney problems, and back pain. After the procedure, there’s no need to stay in the hospital. Some procedures of Interventional Radiology are stenting, angioplasty, biopsy, and thrombolysis.

Conditions in Which Radiology is Needed

Some common conditions in which radiology is needed are:

•Screening for cancers and tumours

•Blocked arteries

•Blood clots

•Pregnancy

•Trauma and accidents

•Broken bones

•Infections

•Foreign objects in the body

•Kidney and bladder stones

•Osteoporosis and arthritis

•Kidney failure

•Appendicitis

Importance of Radiology

Unless a disease is diagnosed, it cannot be cured. Radiology has become one of the most important diagnostic tools to detect and treat diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment can save many lives, and the importance of radiology cannot be undermined:

1.X-rays:

With the help of X-rays, doctors get a clear picture of the inside of your body and diagnose any diseases or broken bones. Without invasive surgical intervention, X-rays spot any dysfunctional parts, help a doctor better detect any injury or illness and start the treatment accordingly.

2.Other imaging:

In addition to X-rays, other imaging techniques such as CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound help doctors get real-time images of the parts inside the body. They provide cross-section views of the body along with 2D and 3D images.

3.Radiologists’ role:

Doctors rely heavily on radiography for accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of a disease. A radiologist’s role is not limited to tests; he/she also prepares the patient mentally for the test. The radiologist explains the procedure to the patients, answers their queries and ensures they are comfortable going through the tests.

4.Central to disease management:

With so many tools and techniques for detecting and treating diseases, radiology plays a significant role in disease management.As diagnostic radiology provides detailed information about dysfunctional areas, it helps doctors start the right course of treatment early, thereby saving lives. Without radiology, it will be difficult to know what’s really going wrong inside the body and treating something as simple as a broken bone can become difficult.

Conclusion

Radiology is more than just X-rays. It includes a series of imaging techniques or tests to identify any illness or injury that you may be having inside your body. These tests provide real-time images, whether it is back pain, fibroids in the uterus, or cardiac ailments. In many cases, doctors depend on radiology reports for treating patients. Radiology is, therefore, an integral part of healthcare. If you have the best health insurance, you can get the cost of the tests reimbursed from your insurance provider.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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