INTRODUCTION TO DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING AND TYPES OF IMAGING EQUIPMENT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF X-RAY, CT/MSCT, MRI, AND ULTRASOUND
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37547/Keywords:
diagnostic imaging, radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, MSCT, MRI, ultrasound, ionizing radiation, dose, ALARA, image quality.Abstract
Diagnostic imaging (radiological diagnostics) is one of the key pillars of clinical medicine, providing objective evidence for early disease detection, differential diagnosis, selection of treatment tactics, and outcome monitoring. This article presents a comparative overview of the main imaging modalities—radiography and fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT) and multislice CT (MSCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US)—with emphasis on their physical and technical principles, equipment architecture, diagnostic capabilities, limitations, and safety considerations. The paper argues that modality choice must be guided by the clarity of the clinical question, the patient’s risk profile (age, pregnancy, renal function, implants), and available resources; for examinations using ionizing radiation, the ALARA principle remains the central criterion.
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