Prerequisites for imaging examination selection: condition + economy
We know that current medical imaging examination equipment includes X-ray, B-ultrasound, CT, MRI and ECT. With the development of science, With the development of technology, more and more advanced equipment will be born. How to correctly choose the inspection that suits your own needs is an important issue. The decision should mainly be made by doctors, but there is currently a tendency for some people to require the use of the most advanced equipment for examination regardless of their illness, whether they are necessary or suitable.
However, we would like to remind you that any advanced equipment has its own uniqueness and limitations in disease diagnosis. Therefore, when making a choice, one should weigh the pros and cons, and based on the needs of the disease, economic strength, and on the premise that a correct diagnosis can be achieved, a simple, convenient, safe, less painful, and low-cost examination should be chosen. Moreover, once the diagnosis is confirmed, no further tests are needed. Of course, it is not ruled out that when certain difficult diseases cannot be diagnosed with one examination, several examinations or repeated examinations may still be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
Understanding of imaging examination: X-ray and CT are complementary
CT and MRI are currently the most advanced imaging equipment, but they still have limitations and cannot replace simple and effective X-ray examination.
Although CT has high resolution, the lesions cannot be detected by CT before the lesions undergo morphological changes, or for early small lesions. CT examination of the heart, large blood vessels and gastrointestinal tract will cause artifacts or unclear imaging due to interference from motion, affecting the accuracy of diagnosis. CT cannot diagnose hypertension, diabetes, and neuropathic pain. CT equipment is expensive and the examination cost is high. The radiation dose received by the patient during one CT examination is equivalent to the radiation dose received by 50-100 X-rays. The patient will feel tired and sleepy within 3-4 days after the examination.
X-rays and CT examinations have their own advantages and disadvantages for different parts of the body. X-rays can better show the macroscopic appearance, while CT can better show the internal details. The two can complement each other. CT is suitable for emergency examinations and is of great help in the diagnosis of bleeding, stroke, acute myocardial infarction, acute aortic thromboembolism, various acute abdominal diseases and trauma.
Understanding of imaging examination: MRI is not as clear as CT in distinguishing small structures and displaying bone and calcification.
MRI has good tissue resolution, making it more suitable for the examination of soft tissues. . Its non-radiation makes MRI more suitable for people at high risk of radiation such as pregnant women and children. MRI imaging also has shortcomings. In addition to being more expensive and charging higher, it takes a long time to scan and image, making it difficult to examine patients who cannot cooperate. The display of moving organs such as the gastrointestinal tract is often unclear due to the lack of suitable contrast agents; the imaging efficiency of the lungs is also unsatisfactory; the display of calcifications and bone lesions is not as accurate as CT. MRI and CT have their own characteristics. CT diagnosis can be used as the basis for MRI diagnosis. MRI can never replace CT, and CT and MRI cannot replace B-ultrasound and X-ray diagnostic technology. Generally speaking, for head and spinal diseases, plain X-ray films should be the first choice of examination items; for intracranial and spinal canal diseases