Chapter 8 Diagnostic Imaging

Appropriate surgical management of the patient relies on correct diagnosis. Best practice depends on close collaboration between the radiologist and the referrer and must take into account local expertise and access to facilities. While the role of the imaging department is to provide radiological reports for imaging examinations performed, it is nevertheless good clinical practice to be able to evaluate patients’ examinations, and a systematic approach is encouraged. The majority of ionising radiation comes from natural sources on Earth and cosmic rays, and this makes up the background radiation. X-rays emitted from an x-ray source are absorbed to varying degrees by different materials and tissues and therefore cause different degrees of blackening of radiographic film, resulting in a radiographic image.

Multiple Choice Questions
Weblinks

Websites

https://www.irefer.org.uk/

Produced by the UK’s Royal College of Radiologists, this website gives advice on which imaging modality is best suited to answer various clinical questions.

https://radiopaedia.org/

Radiopaedia’s self-proclaimed aim is to create the best free radiology reference in the world.

https://www.myesr.org/congress/

The European Society of Radiology has a large resource of educational exhibits and lectures.

Webpages

TNM Classification – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

This is a link to a concise explanation of the tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) staging system for cancer, the criteria required for the different T, N and M stages as well as a section on the difference between cancer grade and stage. Within the weblink there is a link to a set of associated multiple choice questions on the topic.

https://www.ranzcr.com/college/document-library/ranzcr-iodinated-contrast-guidelines/

This weblink offers guidance on the use of intravenous contrast.

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