Radiology Flashcards
Medical specialty concerned with the study and application of x-rays and other technologies (such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance) to produce and interpret images of the human body for the diagnosis of disease.
radiology
Invisible waves of energy that are produced by an energy source and are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
x-rays
Medical specialty that uses radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
nuclear medicine
Materials that emit high-speed particles and energy-containing rays from the interior of their matter.
radioactive substances (radionuclides)
A physician who specializes in the practice of diagnostic radiology.
radiologist
Specializes in diagnostic radionuclide scanning procedures.
nuclear medicine physician
Allowed health care professionals who work with physicians in the fields of radiology and nuclear medicine.
radiologic technologists
Radiologic technologists who aid physicians in administering diagnostic x-ray procedures.
radiographer
Radiologic technologists who attend to patients undergoing nuclear medicine procedures and operate devices under the direction of a nuclear physician.
nuclear medicine technologists
Radiologic technologists who aid physicians in performing ultrasound procedures.
sonographers
A substance is _____ if it permits passage of most of the x-rays.
radiolucent
A substance is _____ if it absorbs most of the x-rays it is exposed to, allowing only a small fraction of the x-rays to reach the x-ray plate.
radiopaque
Item worn by workers exposed to x-rays to detect and record the amount of radiation to which they have been exposed.
film badge
Chemical process in which the energy of an x-ray beam causes rearrangement and disruption within a substance, so that previously natural particles are changed to charged particles.
ionization
A form of x-ray imaging in which digital x-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film.
digital radiography
Uses low-dose x-rays to visualize breast tissue.
mammography
Scan made by beaming x-rays at multiple angles through a section of the patient’s body. Creates multiple cross-sectional images.
CT scan (formerly CAT scan)
Material placed into a structure or fluid to distinguish it from surrounding structures of similar density (which makes radiographic imaging less clear).
contrast medium
Radiopaque substance that is mixed in water and used for examination of the upper and lower GI tract.
barium sulfate
Involves oral ingestion of barium sulfate so that the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum can be visualized.
upper GI (UGI) series
Traces the passage of barium in a sequential manner as it moves through the small intestine.
small bowel follow-through (SBFT) series
Lower GI series that opacifies the lumen (passageway) of the large intestine using a contrast enema. Has largely been replaced by endoscopy.
barium enema (BE) study
Uses both a radiopaque and a radiolucent contrast medium.
double-contrast study
X-ray image of blood vessels and heart chambers is obtained after iodine contrast is injected through a catheter into the appropriate blood vessel or heart chamber.
angiography (angiogram and arteriogram used interchangeably)
X-ray imaging after injection of iodine contrast into bile ducts.
cholangiography
X-ray image of iodine contrast-injected blood vessels is produced by taking two x-ray pictures (the first without contrast) and using a computer to subtract obscuring shadows from the second image.
digital subtraction angiography (DSA)
X-ray record of the endometrial cavity and fallopian tubes is obtained after injection of iodine contrast material through the vagina and into the endocervical canal.
hysterosalpingography
X-ray imaging of the spinal cord after injection of iodine contrast agent into the subarachnoid space surrounding the spinal cord.
myelography
X-ray imaging of the renal pelvis and urinary tract.
pyelography
The use of x-rays and a fluorescent screen to produce real-time video images.
fluoroscopy
Radiologists who perform invasive procedures (therapeutic or diagnostic) usually under ultrasound guidance or with fluoroscopic imaging.
interventional radiologist
Destruction of tumors and tissues done by interventional radiologists.
radiofrequency ablation
Uses high-frequency inaudible sound waves that bounce off body tissues and are then recorded to give information about the anatomy of an internal organ.
ultrasonography
Instrument placed on or near the skin which emits sound waves during an ultrasound.
transducer (or probe)
Record produced by ultrasound imaging.
sonogram
Uses magnetic fields and radio waves rather than x-rays. Better than CT scans for soft tissue images.
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Contrast agent most commonly used in MRI examinations.
gadolinium (Gd)
