Radiation that heals. Radiation that produces images—these are the core areas of radiology. Radiation medicine, as radiology is also known, deals with the medical use of a wide variety of radiation types. This radiation is used for both the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.
From X-rays to ultrasound (sonography) to radiation therapy—radiology involves various types of radiation.
First and foremost, general radiology deals with imaging techniques: Radiological methods allow us to produce images of the body’s interior. No wonder Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen caused such a sensation worldwide with what he called X-rays: at last, pathological changes in the body could be detected in a relatively simple way!
Depending on the procedure, contrast agents—whether injected or ingested—highlight metabolic activity, thereby enhancing imaging in the relevant parts of the body.
Neuroradiology is a specialized branch of radiology that deals with the imaging and examination of the nervous system.
In addition to diagnostic imaging, there is also interventional radiology. This field focuses not on diagnosis but directly on the treatment of diseases: therapeutic procedures are performed simultaneously with imaging.
For example, during a biopsy, diseased tissue is removed from the body—guided by MRI or CT imaging. Other procedures are also performed during imaging, such as angioplasty, in which narrowed or blocked blood vessels are dilated using a special catheter under X-ray guidance.