The future of Medical Imaging

                                                               Data explosion

New time has brought new advantages to the use of the typical scan. Now it yields more information than ever before. This notion is partially true for "multislice" CT scanners. These scanners have the X-ray source. As for the detectors, these are both rotated around the body of the patient. The multislice approach was known for improving the spatial resolution of CT scans. These cover the area from about 6 mm to better than 1 mm. This fact makes CT scan increasingly attractive for a wider range of diagnostic and screening tests. (The rise and rise of medical imaging) A great number of new clinical applications have opened up the way for new technology. (Bidaut L.,1996, p.43)

The changes are very important for the hospitals. Usually, these result in the exponential increase in the amount of data generated by the machines. Computer networks in hospitals are known to struggle for the right to manipulate the images. As a result of the struggle, the sheer volume of data is now being generated. (Brooks RA and Dichiro G.,1976, p.45);

The growing interest in ever-more-sophisticated imaging systems brought many prospect for the good career-seekers as me. It helped to fuel job prospects for medically minded physicists. Many of these are known to tailor their training in a proper way. Upon the end of the courses I plan to enrol on dedicated medical-imaging courses. That will be done prior to applying for research posts.

 

                                  What is ultrasound (sonography)?

Ultrasound (also called sonography) is a diagnostic medical procedure. The procedure is based on the use of high-frequency sound waves. (Ultrasound Tech Careers)

These are used to produce dynamic visual images of organs, tissues or blood flow inside the body. The whole procedure looks as the following: the high-frequency sound waves are transmitted to the area of interest what goes further is the process of the recording of echoes. The whole procedure is called a sonogram or ultrasound scan.

For a person like me who is keen on discovering new things, sonography may be regarded as a wonderful opportunity to examine many parts of the body, such as the abdomen, breasts, female reproductive system, prostate, heart and blood vessels and more. The use of the ultrasound would enable me to discover many interesting things about a person including its age, number, and location of the fetus. What is the most impressive about the whole procedure is the analysis of the fetus for birth defects or other potential problems. The knowledge of the procedure would enable me to detect a number of abnormalities such as gallstones or liver disease.

In a word, sonography is very important, thus the acquisition of such knowledge can help to examine and detect a number of the diseases, thus help the people, who are suffering from these diseases. Consequently, the position of a diagnostic medical sonographer can be regarded as a highly-skilled work. It is especially true when to take into account that the sonographer has to use s specialized equipment. The equipment is used to analyze the processes that go inside the human body. For me the work is interesting and unique in its own way since every day I am supposed to create images of structures that are functioning inside the human body.

One more interesting thing is opportunity to have a direct contact with human body. The very opportunity to be engaged in the process of discovering new things about human body is very interesting for me. The other meaningful thing for me about the occupation of sonographer is the opportunity to be engaged in a number of invasive procedures. I fully understand that I must be very good professional. That fact will enable me to interact compassionately and effectively with people whose health status ranges from healthy to critically ill. To conclude, I fully understand that as a future Sonographer I must be very knowledgeable and skillful. Also, I am fully aware about the limit the risk from possible exposure to blood and body fluids. So, I need skill and knowledge. Also, a great number of sonographers are engaged in practice of electronic and clerical scheduling, as well as in the practice of record keeping and the composition of computerized image archiving. Sonographers are also known to have a number of managerial or supervisory responsibilities.

 

                                                              References:

Bidaut L. (1996) Multidimensional, multisensor, biomedical imaging in clinical use. Physica Medica. Vol XII, Suplement 1,.

Brooks RA and Dichiro G. (1976); Principles of computer assisted tomography (CAT) in radiographic and radioisotopic imaging. Phys Med Biol 5.

Webb S. The Physics of Medical Imaging. Medical Science Series, New York 1988.

The rise and rise of medical imaging. Aug 1, 2003. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/17968         

Ultrasound Tech Careers. http://www.allalliedhealthschools.com/faqs/sonographer.php