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¨ Do radiologists see patients that just got in a car accident?
¨ How do you think radiology helps people now and in the past?

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QUESTION:
Do radiologists see patients that just got in a car accident?

ANSWER from Imagiverse on 24 July 2006:
Not necessarily. The technician that takes the X-rays will see the patient. The doctor (radiologist) who reads the X-rays may never see the patient. Usually, the radiologist sees only the X-rays and interprets that information for the orthopedist or other doctors who are treating the patient. If there is any chance of bone or internal injuries, a doctor will ask for scans like X-rays. A radiographic technician will take the scans. Then the scans are reviewed by radiologists. They will then advise the doctor of the findings, who will relay the information to the patient.

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QUESTION:
How do you think radiology helps people now and in the past?

ANSWER from Lisa Pyke on 13 April 2004:
Radiology provides diagnostic answers to the nature and extent of disease and illness. In the past many diseases could only be identified by the use of X-rays.

Now the use of the many diagnostic modalities helps the physician answer the often complex questions of what is wrong with a patient. Radiology and its many modalities such as Ultrasound, MRI, Computed Tomography and X-rays can determine weather or not a specific disease process is being treated successfully. If the diagnostic information indicates that change is not occurring favorably then the course of treatment can be altered.

Radiology is a mainstay of many diagnoses... from a basic chest X-ray to a complex MRI scan, the information obtain can be lifesaving.

Lisa M Pyke
R.T.R.M.R
Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Last Updated:
15 August 2006