Diagnosis is a process to identify a medical problem. There are often several steps involved in that process. Throughout these steps various resources may be used to reveal information or disprove possibilities. These resources are diagnostic products.
One of the most basic but important diagnostic products is a patient’s chart. This file can contain a great deal of information essential to medical professionals. This includes test results, treatment history, and family medical history. A medical file is so important that it is often shared by different medical professionals when they all serve a single patient.
PET scans are diagnostic products that involve images of a person’s metabolic and chemical activity. This diagnostic technique is formally known as positron emission tomography. It is carried out by injecting substances such as glucose or oxygen into the bloodstream after they have been labeled with special indicators.
The indicators, called radioisotopes, emit positrons that are detected by a scanner. A computer is then used to convert the information into a colored diagram that reveals tissue activity. This can be used to detect conditions such as brain tumors.
Ultrasound scans are diagnostic products that utilize sound waves and echoes to determine information about fluid-filled or soft tissues. This procedure is not effective in areas of the body that are surrounded by bone or filled with gas. This means that it is effective for determining whether there are gallstones in the gallbladder or whether there are cysts on the thyroid gland. It cannot, however, be used to gather information about the brain or lungs. One of the best known uses of ultrasound scanning is to determine information about a fetus.
X-rays are diagnostic products that can produce images of bones, organs, and tissues. This is done by way of electromagnetic radiation, which is a process that involves sending X-rays into the body. The results are often displayed on film. In some cases, such as when an organ is hollow or filled with fluid, a contrast medium is necessary if a good image is desired. Although this diagnostic technique is widely used, exposure to X-rays can be hazardous.
MRIs, or magnetic resonance images, are diagnostic products that can produce cross-sectional or three-dimensional images. This is made possible by a large scanner with a powerful electromagnet and a radio wave detector. The person or the part of her body that needs to be viewed is slid into the machine. This process can be used to examine varying types of parts such as the brain, tendons, or the inner eye.
