Imaging procedure (medicine)

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Imaging method (also imaging diagnostics or imaging for short ) is a generic term used in medicine and especially in medical diagnostics . These include various examination methods based on apparatus that provide (two- or three-dimensional) image data of organs and structures of the patient and are primarily used to diagnose disease-related changes.

Imaging methods in this specialized area are based on medical devices , which in this context are also referred to as modalities ; occasionally, however, the term “modality” is also found as a synonym for “imaging procedure”.

Concept history

The terms imaging procedure , imaging system or imaging method found increasing use in the medical literature from the late 1970s. Early evidence comes from the years 1977 ( ... X-ray and other imaging methods (X-ray tomography, xerography) ... ), 1979 ( ... ultrasound as a superior imaging method ... ) and 1980 (book title: Imaging systems for medical diagnostics ... ). The name spread roughly at the same time as the growing number of new imaging processes (beyond classic X-rays), which made it necessary to create a new, more general term.

Classification of procedures

The imaging processes can be systematized according to various aspects, such as their image generation by means of

or according to the type of image data generated ( sectional images , projection images , surface images ). In addition, a distinction is made between anatomical and functional imaging .

The selection is usually made by the doctor and is based on the diagnostic requirements. For example, bones are well represented in X-rays, and scintigraphy can, among other things, show the distribution of activity in the thyroid .

Most of the methods provide static images. Ultrasound, fluoroscopy, endoscopy, electrical impedance tomography and, in some cases, MRI can also generate "moving images" for motion sequences, including video recordings and during operations.

The radiological procedures also differ in terms of radiation exposure and the resulting dose . According to the X-ray Ordinance, the selection should be based on the ALARA principle ( as much as necessary, as little as possible ).

  • Chest x-ray (projection image)

  • CT chest image (axial section)

  • PET brain image (axial sectional view)

  • Ultrasound image of the gallbladder

  • MRI knee joint image (sagittal sectional view)

  • EIT of the thorax (transverse section)

  • Endoscopic image of a stomach

Diagnostics in Germany

Number of examinations in fully inpatients ( DRG hospitals)
Diagnosis 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2016 2018
Imaging diagnostics 5,073,309 8,417,123 9,125,033 9,728,437 10.255.233 12,324,956 13.216.070
Computed tomography (CT) 2,972,307 4,183,728 4,450,125 4,709,286 4,957,593 5,825,017 6,296,363
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 1,008,944 1,518,625 1,622,007 1,696,235 1,767,005 2,012,067 2,028,008

literature

  • Roche Lexicon Medicine . 5th edition. Urban & Fischer Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-437-15150-9 , pp. 217–218 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  • Pschyrembel Clinical Dictionary . 261st edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2007, ISBN 3-11-018534-2 .
  • Sieglinde Bogensberger u. a .: Hexal-Taschenlexikon Medizin . 3. Edition. Urban & Fischer Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-437-15011-1 , p. 82–83 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  • Olaf Dössel: Imaging procedures in medicine . Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 1999, ISBN 3-540-66014-3 ( limited preview in the Google book search).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christian Johner, Peter Haas (Ed.): Practical Guide IT in Healthcare: Successfully Introduce, Develop, Apply and Operate . Hanser, Munich 2009, ISBN 3-446-41556-4 , p. 233 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  2. ↑ H. Ric Harnsberger, Patrica A. Hudgins, Richard H. Wiggins III, H. Christian Davidson (eds.): PocketRadiologist - head and neck. The 100 top diagnoses . Urban & Fischer, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-437-23600-6 , pp. 86, 200, 269, 302 ( limited preview in the Google book search - English: PocketRadiologist - Head and Neck. Top 100 Diagnoses . Translated by Christian Georg).
  3. ^ H. Buss: Biomedical Engineering . In: The natural sciences . tape 64 , no. 2 , 1977, p. 76-81 , doi : 10.1007 / BF00437347 , PMID 840312 .
  4. ↑ H. Lutz, R. Ehler: 104. Acute abdomen - decision aids through ultrasound diagnostics . In: Langenbeck's archive for surgery . tape 349 , no. 1 , 1979, p. 487-490 , doi : 10.1007 / BF01729562 .
  5. ↑ Erich Krestel (Ed.): Imaging systems for medical diagnostics. Basics, technology, image quality . Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin Munich 1980, ISBN 3-8009-1300-3 .
  6. ↑ Case-based hospital statistics (DRG statistics). Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), accessed on March 2, 2020 .