A patient's guide to medical imaging

1. Introduction : Roentgen and his discovery ; Overview of the radiologic imaging process ; Radiology personnel ; Radiation exposure ; Cost of imaging procedures ; Health care reform

2. Conventional radiology : Plain radiographs ; Portable radiographs ; Fluoroscopy ; Barium swallow ; Upper GI series ; Small bowel series ; Barium enema

3. Ultrasound : Obstetrical (fetal) ultrasound ; Doppler ultrasound ; Echocardiography

4. Computer tomography : Chest CT ; Abdominal CT ; Head CT ; Spine CT ; Whole-body CT screening ; Virtual colonoscopy

5. Magnetic resonance imaging : MR arthrography

6. Breast imaging : Mammography ; Breast ultrasound ; Breast MRI ; Breast biopsy

7. Nuclear medicine : Bone scan ; Lung scan ; Thyroid scan and the radioactive iodine uptake test ; Cardiac scan ; Positron emission tomography (PET)

8. Angiography : Catheter angiography ; CT angiography (CTA) ; CT coronary arteriography ; CT pulmonary arteriography ; Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)

9. Interventional radiology : Vascular procedures ; Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) ; Embolization ; Tumor embolization ; Chemoembolization ; Uterine artery embolization ; Thrombolysis ; Venous access procedures ; Inferior vena cava placement ; Nonvascular procedures ; Needle aspiration biopsy ; Fluid aspiration and drainage ; Tube placement ; Tumor ablation (radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, laser ablation, or microwave ablation) ; Vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty ; Informed consent

10. Pediatric radiology

11. Miscellaneous studies : Bone density (DEXA) scan ; Hysterosalpingography.