Radiology. A closer look.

Our goal with this section is to help increase understanding and demystify this all-important realm of patient care.

For those of you who find the field of Radiology as fascinating as we do, we have assembled a collection of resources and links to some enlightening articles on the subject.

Knowledge is power. We hope you feel empowered when it comes to your own healthcare as you read and learn more about this field of medicine that for 40 years now has enabled CIRPA to turn images into answers for countless patients and their families.

A Few Radiology Web Sites & Articles of Note...

Here is a link to the radiology information resource for patients developed by the American College of Radiology and The Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/

And for you history buffs, here’s a link to the in-depth web site of the British Society for the History of Radiology. http://www.bshr.org.uk/index.html

We thought this was an impressive feature story on the history of radiology, from Stanford University. http://www.slac.stanford.edu/pubs/beamline/25/2/25-2-assmus.pdf

Radiology Innovators…

Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845 - 1923)
German physicist who was a recipient of the first Nobel Prize for Physics, in 1901, for his discovery of X rays, which heralded the age of modern physics and revolutionized diagnostic medicine.

Antoine-Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908)
The French physicist who discovered radioactivity through his investigations of uranium and other substances. In 1903 he shared the Nobel Prize for Physics with Pierre and Marie Curie.

Max Theodor Felix Von Laue (1879 - 1960)
German recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1914 for his discovery of the diffraction of X rays in crystals. This enabled scientists to study the structure of crystals and hence marked the origin of solid-state physics, an important field in the development of modern electronics.

For details on the above three innovators, simply Google their names, or for brief histories, visit www.nobel-winners.com.

Key Dates in Radiology History…

1895 - Rontgen discovers x-rays.
1896 - Becquerel discovers radioactivity.
1901 - Rontgen receives the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of x-rays.
1905 - The first English book on Chest Radiography is published.
1918 - Eastman introduces radiographic film.
1920 - The Society of Radiographers is formed.
1934 - Joliot and Curie discover artificial radionuclides.
1937 -The first clinical use of artificial radioactivity is done at the University of California - Berkeley.
1946 - Nuclear medicine is discovered by accident.
1950s - Wide-spread clinical use of nuclear medicine starts.
1950s - Development of the image intensifier and X-ray television.
1956 - The medical use of Ultrasound starts in Poland.
1962 - Kuhl introduces emission reconstruction tomography. This method later becomes known as SPECT and PET.
1967 - The first clinical use of MRI takes place in England.

More Radiology Resources…

If you have read the information about your procedure or therapy but still have unanswered questions or concerns,we recommend that you consult with your doctor or Contact Us  at CIRPA.

You might also try inquiring at one of the following organizations or searching on their Web site to see if they can provide additional information:

CT (CAT scan) or MRI procedures:
Society of Computed Body Tomography & Magnetic Resonance
P.O. Box 1026

Rochester, MN 55903-1026

Voice: (507) 288-5620
 Fax: (507) 288-0014

Internet site: http://www.scbtmr.org/

Ultrasound exams:

Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound

44211 Slatestone Court


Leesburg, VA 20176-5109

Voice: (703) 858-9210


Fax: (703) 729-4839

E-mail: info@sru.org 

Internet site: http://www.sru.org

Breast imaging:

Society of Breast Imaging

1891 Preston White Drive,

Reston, VA 20191

E-mail: sbi@acr.org
Internet site: http://www.sbi-online.org/

Pediatric radiology:

The Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR)

4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 342


Houston, TX 77027

Voice: (713) 965-0566


Fax: (713) 960-0488

E-mail: spr@meetingmanagers.com 

Internet site: http://www.pedrad.org/

Nuclear medicine tests (PET scans):

Society of Nuclear Medicine

1850 Samuel Morse Drive


Reston, VA 20190

Voice: (703) 708-9000


Fax: (703) 708-9020

Internet site: http://www.snm.org/

Interventional radiology procedures:

Society of Interventional Radiology

10201 Lee Highway,
 Suite 500


Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Voice: (800) 488-7284 or (703) 691-1805


Fax (703) 691-1855

Internet site: http://www.sirweb.org

Radiation therapy:

American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

12500 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 375


Fairfax, VA 22033-3882

Voice: (703) 502-1550 or (toll-free)
(800) 962-7876


Fax: (703) 502-7852

Internet site: http://www.astro.org/