Why Medical Imaging Services Are Central To Saving Lives
Posted on: 26 September 2018
Certainly, technological advancements in the medical field have dramatically decreased the mortality rate for a myriad of health problems. And one advancement that has substantially contributed to the reduced death rate is medical imaging. Medical imaging refers to the ability to see what is going on in a patient's body without having to cut into the person. From MRIs, CAT scans and ultrasounds, medical imaging services are a staple in almost every branch of medicine.
Nonetheless, some individuals may not seem medical imaging important and only view these services as extra expenses on their medical costs. When in truth, medical imaging can literally save your life. Read on for three reasons why medical imaging services are central to saving lives.
Medical imaging services help detect cancer
One of the diseases that require early detection if you are to survive the illness is cancer. However, since the early stages of cancer typically do not manifest with physical symptoms that would alert you to a problem, chances are you will never know you have the cancer cells if you are not proactive about medical imaging. When you start to age, it is recommended that you go for voluntary screenings at your local radiologist to determine if you are at risk for cancer. With routine diagnostic imaging, you give yourself the opportunity to catch the disease early and seek the appropriate treatment before the cancer spreads.
Medical imaging curtails the need for multiple surgeries
Before medical imaging services were readily available, surgeons would be forced to operate on their patients for the simple reason of diagnosing their ailment! Subsequently, patients would have to undergo multiple surgeries; the first one to identify the issue and additional ones to remedy the disease. As a result, patients would be exposed to a myriad of risks, some of which could prove fatal to the individual! For that reason, medical imaging should not be taken for granted, as it provides a solution for diagnosing diseases, tumours and so on without having to undergo unnecessary exploratory surgeries.
Medical imaging has refined treatment options for patients
The treatment options that your doctor will subscribe may dramatically increase your chances of survival, but some of them can also exceedingly diminish your quality of life. For example, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the most common treatment options for cancer. However as the cancer cells are being annihilated, your normal, healthy cells will also be impacted too. Thus, you develop symptoms such as nausea, hair loss, diarrhoea and so on from your course of chemo. With medical imaging, your doctor has a specific location of the cancer cells and can provide you with targeted treatment rather than exposing your entire body. But it should be noted that this could only be possible for cancer that is not widespread.
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