Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Chapter 5 Information Technology in Radiology

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ X-rays Traditional X-rays use electromagnetic waves to produce an image on film. Digital X-rays are immediately available on a screen and expose the patient to less radiation. Used for broken bones. Cannot image soft tissue.

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Ultrasound Uses sound waves and the echoes they produce to generate an image Moving image Uses no radiation Used to study developing fetus and to diagnose prostate disease and gallstones

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ CT Scans Computerized tomography uses X-rays at many angles from which the computer creates an image. Soft tissue can be imaged. More accurate and detailed images decrease the need for exploratory surgery.

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Use computers and a very strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce pictures Images soft tissue Images brain Can find some brain abnormalities Can detect abnormal tissue

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Functional MRI FMRIs can image function by measuring small changes in the use of oxygen. Can locate areas of the brain affected by stroke or brain tumors. Used to study conditioned response. Used to study schizophrenia.

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Positron Emission Tomography PET scans use radio-isotope technology to create an image of the brain or body in motion. Used to study mental disorders, speech, Alzheimer’s, moral reasoning, bi-polar disorder, and cancer.

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Bone Density Scan (DEXA) Bone density scan or dual X-ray absorptiometry scan used to diagnose osteoporosis A special kind of low radiation X-ray that shows changes in the rays’ intensity after passing through bone Shows small changes in bone density from the amount of change in the X-ray

Information Technology for the Health Professions, 2/e By Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ Bloodless Surgery Stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife surgery) is a noninvasive technique that is currently used to treat brain tumors with highly focused beams of radiation. Focused ultrasound used to raise tumors to the boiling point.