Radiology is a medical specialty that uses
imaging to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries affecting the human body. A Radiologist is a medical doctor (MD or DO) specializing in medical
imaging interpretation who collaborates with other healthcare providers to accurately diagnose and treat disease
processes affecting the human body.
exam to help accurately diagnose you. There are many types of radiology exams that can be performed including a general
x-ray, ultrasound, bone densitometry (DEXA), computed tomography (CT or “CAT” scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
nuclear medicine, PET-CT or fluoroscopy. The type of radiology exam your doctor requests depends on your symptoms and
the body part(s) affected. Certain radiology exams are better suited for imaging particular body parts but may not be
the best exam for a different body part. For example, a general x-ray is excellent for evaluating bones and lungs but
is not recommended for evaluating the brain. Some radiology exams can be performed in your physician’s office (i.e.
x-ray or ultrasound) while other exams may require a visit to an outpatient clinic or a hospital.
Some radiology exams require ionizing radiation to produce the images, such as x-rays, fluoroscopy, computed tomography
(CT or “CAT” scan) or positron emission tomography with CT (PET-CT). Radiology exams such as an ultrasound or MRI do not
use ionizing radiation to produce the images and are generally not harmful to your health. Nuclear medicine requires
administration of radioactive material into your body to create the images.
Too much radiation can be harmful to your health and has been implicated as a proven cause of cancer. For patient and
radiology healthcare provider safety, safe and acceptable radiation dose limits for each particular exam have been
created. Radiology departments are required by law to report the radiation dose for each particular exam and must comply
with the requirements to maintain certification. Radiology Muskegon PC, and affiliated healthcare facilities, use as low
as reasonably achievable (ALARA) radiation doses to produce the necessary radiology images. To learn more about ALARA
and other initiatives aimed at radiation dose reduction and safety, visit http://www.acr.org/Quality-Safety/Radiology-Safety/Radiation-Safety.