Understanding the Vital Role of Radiologists

(Tina Dawn/VM-Med)

What do Radiologists Do? 

Radiologists are medical doctors who specialize in detecting, diagnosing, and treating injuries and diseases using medical imaging (radiology) procedures, X-rays, computed tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans), nuclear medicine, PET scans and ultrasound. Radiology is essential to the diagnosis and early treatment of many diseases. The importance of diagnostic imaging in the fight against breast cancer cannot be overestimated. 

While both are important and essential to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, radiologists should not be confused with radiology technicians. The latter, while having extensive training, do not have a medical degree. Radiology technicians perform medical exams using X-rays on patients to create images of specific parts of the body. The images are then interpreted by a radiologist for the proper diagnosis and monitoring of disease. Radiologists accurately analyze the resulting images that are created by the radiographers, and then advise regarding further course of action.

Radiology Specialties

There are many specialties in radiology, so medical doctors trained in this field may do many different things and have many different job descriptions. But there are essentially three primary radiology specialties: diagnostic, intervention, and therapeutic radiology.

Diagnostic radiologists use a variety of procedures to see inside the body and assess or diagnose a patient’s condition, an illness, or an injury. Diagnostic radiologists can perform and even specialize in mammograms, needle biopsies, chest radiology, cardiovascular radiology, pediatric radiology, and more. Diagnostic radiologists correlate their findings with clinical information and other relevant tests.

Interventional radiologists diagnose and treat patients using image-guided, minimally invasive techniques such as X-rays and MRI. They can perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using catheters. For example, during an angioplasty, the radiologist inserts and inflates a tiny balloon through a catheter to open blocked blood vessels, or they deliver cancer medicine directly into your body through a catheter or port.

Interventional radiologists are experts in performing image-guided, minimally invasive procedures, such as embolization, angioplasty, and stent placement. There are also several sub-specialities that interventional radiologists practice, such as breast imaging, pain medicine, oncologic imaging, pediatric radiology, emergency radiology, and more. These interventions usually ensure more comfort for the patient and faster recovery time.

Therapeutic radiologists focus on treating cancer and other diseases using radiation. Using various tools, radiation therapy specialists locate the area in need of treatment and using specialized shields will make sure that the radiation procedure interacts with the correct area while minimizing exposure to the rest of the body.

Radiation oncologists are a subspeciality of interventional radiology. They are highly trained doctors who prescribe and oversee each cancer patient’s treatment plan. They use radiation therapy to treat cancer, and they monitor the patient’s progress and adjust treatment to make sure patients receive appropriate quality care. Radiation oncologists receive extensive training in cancer medicine, in the safe use of radiation to treat disease, and in managing any side effects caused by radiation.

Why Radiologists Are Important

The field of radiology and the specialists who work in it are crucial to healthcare. There are a few main reasons radiologists are so important.

Prevention: Radiologists are responsible for screening patients and trying to preventatively detect any diseases as early as possible for the most effective treatment. There are many types of cancers, (for example lung, thyroid, breast, and colon cancer) that are highly treatable if detected in the early stages of the disease. Detection is the first step in helping guide your primary doctor towards the appropriate treatment.

Evaluation: Radiologists and the imaging technology that they have at their disposal are best suited to track and evaluate a patient’s condition. Scans can clearly show changes in a patient’s condition over time but can also accurately and precisely measure how a disease is responding to treatment. This, in turn, helps doctors determine if the specific course of action they have opted for is working, or whether they should change their method of attack. Cancer is a disease that can be both insidious and hidden well. A patient dealing with a serious illness may, by all accounts, appear quite healthy. It’s why radiology can be so important –both in detecting a disease, and throughout the treatment process.

Therapy: Therapeutic radiologists focus on treating cancer and other diseases using radiation. Therapeutic radiologists are also called radiation oncologists (oncology is the specific branch of medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating cancer) or radiation therapists. They primarily specialize in the treatment of cancer and other diseases with radiation. Radiation is essentially used to kill the cancer cells (or slow their growth by damaging their DNA) by preventing them from multiplying. Therapeutic radiologists not only help locate the area in need of treatment, but make sure that the radiation procedure interacts with the correct area to shrink the tumour, while not damaging healthy parts of the body and minimising the acute effects of radiation exposure on the body.

Radiologists play a crucial role in a patient’s diagnosis and treatment and work in collaboration with their medical colleagues in recommending the best course of action. Before a medical specialist recommends surgery, beginning chemotherapy, or starting someone on medication, the radiologist must be consulted. 

There are many everyday scenarios in which your primary doctor may consult with a radiologist. They may be consulted if a patient is pregnant and requires imaging tests to help diagnose any problems with the baby, or if they have persistent back pain, uterine fibroids, gastrointestinal issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or if they were involved in a car accident and have broken bones. Radiologists help a medical team offer the most effective help to their patients no matter their condition.

VM-Med’s Radiology Centre offers several types of ultrasounds and X-rays. VM Med offers patients the most comprehensive medical imaging services, with on-site access to all imaging modalities including a wide-open MRI to accommodate patients who may feel claustrophobic and are accredited by Accreditation Canada, and by the Canadian Association of Radiologists in Mammography.

The clinic offers several types of ultrasound including: abdominal ultrasound, pelvic ultrasound, endovaginal ultrasound, renal, and more. To make an appointment, you can consult the website. To read more about radiology and how it helps with diagnosis and treatment of disease, you can consult VM-Med’s radiology blog archives.