- Barium Enema an examination of the large bowl (part of the intestines) with the use of a floroscope, which uses X-rays to capture a moving image of an organ while it is functioning. These images are taken after the administration of an enema, which fills the colon with barium sulfate, a contrast substance that coats the walls of the colon and enhances the images.
- Barium Sulfate a contrast liquid given during a GI series that coats the walls of the GI tract and enhance the images that are obtained.
- Biopsy the removal and microscopic examination of tissue from the body for the purpose of obtaining diagnostic information.
- Catheter a small, plastic tube used to enter a cavity of the body.
- Claustrophobia irrational fear of enclosed spaces.
- Contrast Material term used in Radiology for agents that are administered to a patient prior to an imaging study that provide better visualization of internal structures.
- Coronary Arteries vessels through which the blood passes away from the heart to the various parts of the body.
- Computed Tomography (CT or CAT scan) an imaging modality that obtains detailed, cross-sectional X-ray images of very specific areas of the body. The scanner is a round, donut-shaped machine that is open in the middle.
- Electrode an adhesive patch that adheres to the skin and serves as the medium between the heart and an EKG recorder.
- Fluoroscope imaging equipment that uses X-rays to capture a moving image of an organ while it is functioning.
- Gamma Camera a special imaging camera used for nuclear scanning that is a large disk-shaped piece of equipment that is positioned as close to the body as possible.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) Series commonly called an upper GI series, this procedure obtains X-ray images of the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, and small intestine) after the ingestion of contrast liquid called barium sulfate, which coats the walls of the GI tract and enhances the images.
- interpretation the diagnostic evaluation of a skilled radiologist after viewing the images obtained through a radiologic procedure.
- Interventional Radiology procedures using imaging modalities to guide needles, wires, and tubes into various structures of the body in order to diagnose or treat a disease or condition.
- Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) a procedure that obtains X-ray images of the urinary tract system (kidneys, ureters, and bladder) following the injection of a contrast material that enhances the images.
- Mammography X-ray images of the breasts.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) an imaging modality that utilizes magnetic fields instead of radiation to take highly detailed pictures of the body. The images are obtained by surrounding the area of study with a magnet, which causes the water molecules inside the body to move. A computer picks up the movements and converts them into pictures. The images can be displayed on a computer screen, stored within the computer, or transferred to film.
- Nuclear Cardiology a cardiac imaging modality that shows the blood flow through the heart after the injection of a radiopharmaceutical tracer. During nuclear stress testing, specialized images of the heart and the distribution of this tracer are obtained as the body moves through a scanner.
- Nuclear Medicine an imaging modality that obtains images after a small amount of radioactive tracer has been absorbed in the body. The tracer is administered either orally or through an injection or intravenous tube. A special gamma camera detects the distribution of the tracer in your body, and specialized images of this metabolic activity enable the radiologist to study the function of tissues in addition to its anatomy.
- Tracer when injected into the body, a radioactive tracer enables a nuclear scanner to study the metabolism, distribution, and passage of the agent as it passes through the body.
- Transducer a device that translates one form of energy to another, such as during an ultrasound when high frequency sound waves are transmitted through a transducer and then converted into electrical impulses. An echocardiograph machine converts the electrical impulses into images that are displayed onto a monitor and recorded.
- Ultrasound an imaging modality, sometimes called a sonogram, that visualizes internal structures by recording the pulsating echoes of harmless and painless sound waves that are directed to a specific area of the body. These high frequency sound waves are transmitted through a transducer, which is a device that converts them into electrical impulses. A computer converts the electrical impulses into images that are displayed onto a monitor and recorded so that a radiologist can view them and interpret the results.
- Vasodilator medication that increases the blood flow to the heart.
- X-Ray images obtained using ionizing electromagnetic radiation that penetrates the body, impinges on a solid metallic background, and results in images that are captured on film.
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