KOCHI: The International Day of Radiology is an annual event to promote the role of medical imaging in healthcare. It is celebrated on November 8 to build awareness on how radiology contributes to safe patient care and improve public understanding of role of radiologists and radiographers.
Discovery of X-rays
X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than those of ultraviolet light. X-rays were discovered accidentally in the year 1895, by Professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German scientist, while he was working with a cathode-ray tube in his laboratory.
He called his discovery, X-rays to indicate that it was, then, an unknown type of radiation. Roentgen was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. X-rays are also known as Roentgen rays.
One of Roentgen’s first experiments late in 1895 was a film of the hand of his wife, Anna Bertha, which showed bones of her hand and their wedding ring. Interestingly, the first use of X-rays was for industrial applications, as Roentgen produced a radiograph of a set of weights in a box to show his colleagues.
Radiology
Radiology is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases. A variety of imaging techniques such as X-ray radiography, ultrasound scan, Doppler scan, mammogram, computed tomography (CT) and nuclear medicine, including positron emission tomography (PET Scan), fluoroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are used to diagnose or treat diseases. Interventional radiology is the sub-speciality that performs minimally invasive medical procedures with the guidance of imaging technologies such as those mentioned above.
It is equally crucial that the ionizing radiation level is kept to the minimum required so that it causes no harm to patients as well, especially in this era of increasing requirements of repeated and frequent imaging.
Role of radiologists
The role of the radiologist in the modern, rapidly changing world of healthcare is multifaceted and essential. They play a key part in the diagnosis, treatment, and protection of patients. Through research and application of novel technologies, radiologists contribute heavily to medical innovation.
And this role has gradually shifted from remotely reporting imaging findings to being a contributor to multidisciplinary management teams. This shift requires radiologists to be fully knowledgeable about the diseases they deal with, relevant clinical questions and the impact of imaging findings on treatment choice and outcome.
Mind and Body
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