Conversation with a Radiologist
Patient: Good morning, Dr X.
Dr.: Good morning to you! How are you feeling today?
Pt : I have been experiencing difficulties in performing some of the familiar tasks, which including making a meal or even washing my clothes. I have also been experiencing some problems with my speech, as I often experience a problem in finding the rights words during a conversation.
Dr. : Do you have any other symptoms that can help me understand your condition further?
Pt : I have also been experiencing disorientation to place and time leading to situations where I often get lost inroads that I have used before. Another symptom is that I find myself misplacing things making it hard for me to track them when I need to use them.
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Dr. : Based on these symptoms, it is essential for me as a radiologist to monitor, measure, and study your psychophysiological activity and behaviour using different techniques. I am going to provide you with information on some of the conventional methods we use for patients that present symptoms that reflect on a neurological disorder.
Pt : That would be nice, as it will help me understand some of the critical psychophysiological and behavioural factors contributing to the symptoms that I have been experiencing.
Dr. : The first technique commonly used concerning psychophysiological activity and behaviour is the electroencephalogram (EEG). Conducting an EEG helps in tracking the electrical activity within the brain by recording the brain wave patterns to determine whether one’s condition may be as a result of lack of electrical activity in some parts of the brain (Mumtaz, Xia, Ali, Yasin, Hussain, & Malik, 2017). The use of EEG is every day when diagnosing neurological conditions such as epilepsy and sleep disorders.
Pt : Do I show any symptoms of epilepsy or sleep disorders?
Dr. : No. That brings me to the second most common technique used, which is the positron emission tomography (PET) scan. A PET scan is an important technique that helps in revealing how the tissues and organs within different parts of the body function through the use of the radioactive drug (tracer) (Everitt et al., 2017). The purpose of this technique is considered as being important in the diagnosis of a condition before any other imaging test is administered.
Pt : Can this test be administered in my case?
Dr. : Yes, but it is essential to understand some of the other techniques before we conclude. The third most common technique used computed tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan is undertaken using a processed combination of different X-ray measurements that are taken from multiple angles to help the development of cross-sectional images focusing on specific areas (Tamburrino, Riviere, Yaghoobi, Davidson, & Gurusamy, 2016). The use of this technique is essential, as it helps in providing much more detail of bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues within different parts of the body.
Pt : Is there any other technique used?
Dr. : Yes, there is another technique referred to as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As the name suggests, MRI is a test that is conducted using powerful magnets and radio waves with the aim being towards creating a detailed outlook of the body (Radtke et al., 2016). The main advantage of the MRI is that it is not only used in diagnosis but can also help in tracking the effectiveness of treatment. MRIs are used in the diagnosis of a wide array of conditions affecting the brain, chest, pelvis, and the abdomen.
Pt : That was an insightful engagement on the techniques used in the health care industry.
Dr. : I was glad to have provided you with this information, as I believe that it may be of help to you in the future.
References
Everitt, S., Ball, D., Hicks, R. J., Callahan, J., Plumridge, N., Trinh, J., ... & Mac Manus, M. (2017). A prospective study of serial imaging comparing fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorothymidine PET during radical chemoradiation for non-small cell lung cancer: reduction of detectable proliferation associated with worse survival. International Journal of Radiation Oncology* Biology* Physics , 99 (4), 947-955.
Mumtaz, W., Xia, L., Ali, S. S. A., Yasin, M. A. M., Hussain, M., & Malik, A. S. (2017). Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based computer-aided technique to diagnose major depressive disorder (MDD). Biomedical Signal Processing and Control , 31 , 108-115.
Radtke, J. P., Schwab, C., Wolf, M. B., Freitag, M. T., Alt, C. D., Kesch, C., ... & Bonekamp, D. (2016). Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI–transrectal ultrasound fusion biopsy for index tumour detection: correlation with radical prostatectomy specimen. European urology , 70 (5), 846-853.
Tamburrino, D., Riviere, D., Yaghoobi, M., Davidson, B. R., & Gurusamy, K. S. (2016). Diagnostic accuracy of different imaging modalities following computed tomography (CT) scanning for assessing the resectability with curative intent in pancreatic and periampullary cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , (9).
