Tag: medical diagnostics
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Scintillation Counters: Operation & Application in Medical Imaging
Scintillation counters are basically made up of the following main components: a scintillation material (crystal), a photodetector (photomultiplier in this case) which is used to count flashes (scintillations) from the crystal and an electronic pulse forming and pulse height discriminating circuit. The scintillation crystal is typically sodium iodide. Operation of Scintillation Counter The energy from…
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What is Magnetoencephalography (MEG)?
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a form of neuroimaging that maps the tangential components of magnetic fields associated with scalp potentials produced by the brain. These potentials are similar to those that can be recorded as electroencephalograms (EEGs) however the dynamic magnetic components of these potentials contain different information with spatial sampling. Unlike fMRI or PET images…
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What is Functional MRI (fMRI)?
Functional MRI (fMRI) is the use of MRI to detect localized changes in brain activity, usually in the form of changes in cerebral metabolism, blood flow, volume, or oxygenation in response to task activation. In other words, Functional MRI provides images of brain activity in response to various stimuli. These changes are interrelated and may…
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What is Echocardiography?
Echocardiography is a diagnostic technique that employs ultrasound to produce an image of the beating heart in real time. A piezoelectric transducer element is used to emit short bursts of high frequency, low intensity sound through the chest wall to the heart and then detect the reflections of this sound as it returns from the…
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The Function of a PET scan in Biomedical Diagnostics
The radionuclides that are employed in a PET scan as part of radiopharmaceuticals work best when used for imaging certain physiological properties. Combined with a CT scan or an MRI, a PET scan is good for locating things such as tumours. As a matter of fact, a PET scan can light up for the brain,…
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The Process of Setting up a PET scan
The ability of a PET scanner to target specific functions or objects e.g. tumour makes it a very effective tool in non-invasive medical imaging and diagnostics. The process involves using radionuclides, so PET scanners aren’t available at every medical facility. Related: Radionuclide Imaging Techniques The process of setting a PET scan involves the following steps:…
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Radionuclide Imaging Techniques
The radionuclide imaging devices place radionuclides, called tracers, within the body. We have 3 types of imaging that include the following: Let’s discuss briefly each of the above listed imaging techniques: Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) SPECT uses a radionuclide with relatively longer half-life. (The half-life is the time, it takes half the radionuclides…
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Clinical Applications of NTC Thermistors
Thermistors are certainly the most used transducers for medical temperature measurements. Their properties facilitate clinically difficult measurements that include: hypothermia, transcutaneous measurements during cardiopulmonary bypass, testicular temperature measurements in reproductive medicine, continuous monitoring of preterm infants and personal heat strain monitoring in occupational medicine. Thermistors are also extensively used in a variety of clinical and…
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The Application of Echocardiography in Cardiovascular Diagnosis
The key application of ultrasound in cardiovascular diagnosis is echocardiogram. It utilizes M-scan technique in the imaging. In the echocardiogram, the movements of the valves and other structures of the heart are displayed as a function of time. The display also includes an electrocardiogram to provide more information on the heart. From the echocardiogram, the…
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How Ophthalmoscope is used for Eye Examination
Ophthalmoscope is an instrument used to examine the interior of the eye including the lens, retina, and optic nerve. It is used primarily to: Ophthalmoscope is based on the principle that, light entering the pupil is reflected back to its source. Furthermore, the light follows the same path out of the eye that it took…