Essay Sample on Evaluation of Medical Imaging Modalities

There are several types of radiation medical imaging modalities that are used in the diagnosis of different conditions in healthcare. Some of the common types of imaging modalities include medical imaging, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine. Each of these modalities has its unique evaluation and unique scans. With that being said, this paper focuses on the evaluation of different medical radiation streams, which include medical imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy, explaining their respective scans and experiences among the elderly.

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Medical Imaging

This type of medical modality involves a designated set of techniques that produces images of the body’s internal aspects. It involves creating of human body images for clinical purposes such as examining an injury, or diagnosis, and revealing of specific dysfunctions or pathologies among the elderly. Medical imaging as a discipline consists of radiology, endoscopy, tomography, thermography, and microscopy for human pathological investigations. Some of the practical methods of medical images include the use of CT-Scans, X-rays, and MRIs (Greenspan, Van Ginneken, & Summers, 2016). In a clinical context, medical imaging is equated to radiology, and the medical professional in charge is responsible for interpreting images. In other words, the radiographer is responsible for acquiring images of high quality to examine issues that are experienced by specific individuals. The bottom line is that medical imaging provides a useful resource for diagnostic imaging, intervention, prognosis, and assessment of dysfunctions and injuries that are necessary for the provision of quality care. The use of medical imaging requires a lot of expertise, and it is essential to inform the patient of what is happening, depending on the imaging technique being used for imaging.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is also a common form of imaging in clinical care, and it involves the medical use of radioactive tracers, which are either swallowed or injected to ensure they travel through the circulatory or the digestive system. The radiotracers used in nuclear medicine facilitate the process of radiation to create images of particular body parts (World Health Organization, 2020). The initial step of nuclear medicine requires a patient to swallow or be injected with a radiopharmaceutical. The radiopharmaceutical is radioactive, and after taking this substance, a patient is required to lay down on a table, as the camera takes pictures. The camera focuses on the specified areas, where the radioactive materials are concentrated. By observing the pictures, doctors understand perfectly where there is a problem.

Types of imaging used by nuclear medicine include the SPECT and the PET, which in full mean the single-photon emission computed and positron emission topographies. These types of imaging are useful for providing detailed information about exactly how various body organ functions (Gotthardt, Bleeker-Rovers, Boerman & Oyen, 2010). In other words, both PET and SPECT help examine which organs are affected. All in all, nuclear medicine is used in standard clinical applications such as bone scans, lungs, and thyroid scans. While undertaking nuclear medicine, several safety measures have to be considered, especially for breastfeeding mothers, radiosensitive individuals, as well as pregnant mothers.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that involves the use of radiation beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. This type of radiation commonly entails the use of X-rays, but other types of energy, primarily protons, are used. The procedure of radiation involves the use of high-energy beams from a machine outside the body that aims at precise points in the body (Demaria, Golden & Formenti, 2015). It uses waves of energy, such as heat or light, to treat cancers and tumors. The form of radiation used in these cases is known as ionizing radiation. The ionization radiation kills cancer cells by breaking the DNA, which disrupts the division and growth of cancer cells.

Conclusion

In summary, radiation is generally used in healthcare to produce images that are effective for the diagnosis of different conditions. In some cases, radiation is also used for the treatment of conditions such as cancer. Some of the conventional imaging methods using radiation include nuclear medicine, medical imaging, which involves the use of X-rays, and CT scans, and radiation therapy used in cancer treatment.

References

Demaria, S., Golden, E. B., & Formenti, S. C. (2015). Role of Local Radiation Therapy in Cancer Immunotherapy. JAMA oncology, 1(9), 1325-1332. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandra_Demaria/publication/280966530_Role_of_Local_Radiation_Therapy_in_Cancer_Immunotherapy/links/5bf5697da6fdcc3a8de89728/Role-of-Local-Radiation-Therapy-in-Cancer-Immunotherapy.pdf

Gotthardt, M., Bleeker-Rovers, C. P., Boerman, O. C., & Oyen, W. J. (2010). Imaging of Inflammation by PET, Conventional Scintigraphy, and Other Imaging Techniques. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 51(12), 1937-1949. http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/51/12/1937.full.pdf

Greenspan, H., Van Ginneken, B., & Summers, R. M. (2016). Guest Editorial deep Learning in Medical Imaging: Overview and Future Promise of an Exciting New Technique. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 35(5), 1153-1159. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7463094

World Health Organization. (2020). Nuclear Medicine: Diagnostic Imaging. WHO. https://www.who.int/diagnostic_imaging/imaging_modalities/dim_nuclearmed/en/