Radiology

Radiology is a branch of medicine that deals with the use of radiation for diagnostic, therapeutic and scientific purposes.

With "conventional X-rays" (also known as radiographic procedures), the body or a part of the patient's body is irradiated with X-rays from one direction. On the opposite side, the radiation is registered with suitable materials and converted into an image. The image shows the tissue lying in the beam path in the projection.

Bones absorb more radiation than soft tissues and therefore cast shadows; air-filled tissues such as the lungs are relatively permeable, so that a higher radiation intensity is registered behind them. Since different structures usually overlap in the beam path, it is often helpful to produce several images from different projection directions.

Interventional radiology uses the available imaging methods to control percutaneous diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Percutaneous means that these procedures are performed using a needle or a small incision through the skin. Further details can be found in the chapters angiography, computer tomography and mammography

After studying medicine, a radiologist specialized in the generation and assessment of medical images of the human body with a 5-year training course.