Radiology:
The "Eyes of Medicine"
Wessam Bou-Assaly, MD
The "Eyes of Medicine"
Wessam Bou-Assaly, MD
Radiology is a branch of medicine that uses different imaging techniques to diagnose and treat diseases.
Many modalities, including X-ray/radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine (including positron emission tomography, PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used by the Radiologist to diagnose and/or treat diseases.
Radiology is crucial in healthcare system since it provides a major step in treating patients, putting the finger on where the problem is and producing images of the internal organs of the body, which clinicians, of medical and surgical specialties, cannot see and evaluate.
The Radiologist, a physician and medical imaging expert, with specialized training in obtaining and interpreting medical images, works as part of the clinical team taking care of patients and participating actively in decision making to treat them.
For abdominal pain, signs of stroke, trauma after an accident, knees, neck and back pain, pregnancy and fetus evaluation, concern for surgical emergencies, screening for cancers such breast cancer, diagnosing tumor and evaluating their spread; the clinicians find no way around the Radiologist to obtain an as much accurate diagnosis as possible, with highly advanced imaging modalities, before planning any treatment for their patient.
Like the eyes for our bodies, shedding light on the external world around us, guiding our steps, coordinating our action, managing our reflexes, planning our moves, maintaining a safe environment for us, Radiology is the Eyes of Medicine, opening the body for us, shedding light on our internal world, without a single skin cut, and painting an image of our internal organs, showing what went wrong inside our bodies, and helping us plan an accurate treatment for our disease.
After all, who wants to drive a car blindly with closed eyes!
