Radiology as a speciality has come a long way since X-Ray was invented in the year 1895 by Wilhem Conrad Roentgen. In just over a century, it has truly assumed a very important status in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. From plain radiology to CT Scan, MRI, USG, and now in the last two decades, it has further grown to exponentially to digital and computerised radiography, multi-slice spiral CT and faster MRI machines. Today it not only encompasses diagnostic imaging but also therapeutic procedures in the form of interventional radiology.
Talking about the amazing progress in the field of radiography, Dr Kakarla Subbarao, Director and Vice-Chancellor of Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), said technological revolution had brought about immense changes in the field of diagnostic imaging, from simple X-Ray to that of digital imaging. These innovative technologies and practices were being used as an essential back-up for medical doctors in their diagnosis and treatment.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Ninth National Conference of the Society of Indian Radiographers (SIR), in Hyderabad. The three-day conference from December14 to 16 is being jointly organized by SIR, NIMS, Indian Radiological and Imaging Asdsociation (IRIA) and Kakarla Subbarao Radiology and Imaging Educational Sciences Trust (KREST).
Dr Subbarao said the benefits of the latest technological advances should reach the rural population as well by introducing mobile Radiology Labs. Only recently had the President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, called for more mobile clinics, extension of telemedicine and introduction of mobile Cath Labs to serve the rural population.
Radiographers, imaging technologists, physicists and even the darkroom assistants had a crucial role to play in medical and healthcare services. The progress in technology is so fast, it would be essential to update the knowledge and improve the quality of radiographs and images. Workshops of this kind would help bring people together - the industry, the medical and non-medical segments of Radiology and Imageology - and find solutions so that medicare would be accessible, available and affordable, Dr Subbarao said.
Inaugurating the conference, Dr C Ganguly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), said there was a need to introduce a certificate course for radiographers and streamlining of minimum qualifications. He advised the radiographers to go for periodic updating of their knowledge. A mechanism to provide radiology and imaging services to the rural poor at a low cost should be evolved, he said.
More than 75 papers on subjects ranging from X-Ray to Interventional Radiology were presented at the three-day session which was attended by more than 500 delegates spread across the country. Speakers at the technical sessions highlighted the role of radiography and nuclear medicine in the treatment of cancer and heart-related diseases. With the advance of technology and introduction of new equipment and modalities such as spiral CT, MRI, vascular radiography, mammography and digital radiography, the role of radiologists had expanded manifold. And updating of knowledge is an essential component in medical care.
In his paper on " Use of Basic Technique in Routine Radiography," Jayawant Jadav, Dept of Radiology, K E M Hospital, Mumbai, said the age-old methods like conventional Tomography and magnification radiography had lost their identity amongst the latest techniques. Various radiography techniques like High KV radiography and the radiographs taken using different filters, screen-film combinations, air gap technique and using other basic rules of radiography, can give equal and good results as these latest machine made images. If they are used in appropriate scenario, they can make wonders and sometimes obviate the need of higher imaging modalities, thus saving time and money, besides starting treatment early.