The MRI scanner captures the
energy and creates a picture of
the scanned tissues
Hydrogen atoms naturally exist in the body.
Radio waves redirect the alignment of the
hydrogen atoms in the body and and analyze
the energy different tissues emit when the
hydrogen atoms return to their typical
alignment in the body
What it
shows
Organs, soft tissues, bone
Uses
Evaluate organs of the
body/abdomen, pelvic organs
(bladder, reproductive organs),
blood vessels, and lymph nodes
Diagnose and
monitor
treatments
MRI diagnosing breast cancer
X-Ray
How it works
Creates pictures of the
inside of your body in
different shades of black
and white. Different
tissues absorb different
amounts of radiation
leading to the varying
shades of gray shown on
an x-ray
Dense areas of the body that don't allow much of the x-rays
to pass through appear white (bones) as opposed to hollow or
air filled places of the body that appear black (lungs)
What it shows
Bones, joint spaces, the
heart, (size/shape),
changes in density, and
fluid collection
Uses
Checking for broken bones
Spotting pneumonia
Looking for cancer
Monitoring the
progression of a
disease
Normal foot and hand x-ray
Bone Scan
How it works
A radiotracer that contains a small
amount of radioactive material is inserted
into a vein
The substance travels through the
blood to the bones and organs
As the substance wears off it
leaves traces of radiation
The radiation is detected by a camera that slowly scans the
body
The camera takes pictures of how much the radiotracer collects in the
bones
What it
shows
The various bones of the
skeleton
Uses
Find bone cancer or determine if another
cancer has spread to the bone
Diagnose the cause/location of unexplained bone pain
Diagnose broken bones not clearly seen on an x-ray
Find damage to bones
Bone Scan showing a stress fracture on the right leg
CT Scam
How it works
Combines many x-ray images with the aid
of a computer to generate images that
overlap to show all sections of the body
A large donut like machine
takes x-ray images at many
different angles around the
body
What it shows
Internal organs and structures
Uses
Define normal or
abnormal structure in
the bosy
Assist in procedures by guiding
the placement of instruments
and treatments
Bacterial pneumonia diagnosed through the abnormal obstruction of the lung