Radiologist

Radiologist is a general practitioner of medicine who specializes in the use of non-ionizing radiation and radioactive isotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of a disease. Radiologists can specialize in any of the disciplines such as computed tomography, diagnostic radiology, ultrasound, pediatric radiology etc. A radiologist should have completed graduation from a medical school followed by at least four years of residency in the chosen area of specialization. Radiologists have a special role in diagnosing diseases as they go by the results of the medical images that they have captured thus understanding the situation better.

• Capture images of body parts using gamma rays, x-rays, sound waves etc.
  
• Diagnose the disease as per the image captured.
  
• They can also treat few diseases using radiation therapy called as radiation oncology or can conduct image guided surgeries called as interventional radiology.
  

A radiologist can be a general one who interprets the images of all parts of the human body or can be a sub-specialized one who specializes in any particular area of imaging. Thus ensure

• Your radiologist has the exact brand of specialization that you and your doctor are looking for. For e.g. if you want a radiologist for MRI scanning ensure you have a person who is having a specialization in the field of MRI.
  
• Ensure that his center is equipped with the right equipment to meet your needs.
  
• Ask the radiologist to brief you on the preparation required for the imaging and the procedure of the scan.
  
• Above all ensure the radiologist has the required board certification.
  

Modern technology and radiologists

The field of radiology has seen various changes. Traditional x-rays have been replaced with gamma rays and of the late isotopes and sound waves are used to generate images and treat diseases too.

• Digital imaging has helped the radiologist in diagnosing more precisely the condition of the disease.
  
• Fluoroscopy methods are adapted where a contrasting agent is induced either orally or intravenously.
  
• CT scans are now obtained as 3D images thus giving finer details of the body parts thus making diagnosis better and accurate.
  
• Use of ultrasound in studying the various stages of development of the fetus has helped the field of ob-gyn in reducing the number of fetal abnormalities thus helping the doctors take the required measures.
  
• Cardiovascular MRI, MR image guided therapy are areas of advancement in the field of MRI imaging.
  
• Nuclear medicine has made a break through in the field of bone scanning thus helping doctor's understand cancers better.