Topic Index

The Radiologist

The Radiology Team

Diagnostic Radiology

Therapeutic Radiology (Radiation Oncology)

Interventional Radiology

Glossary

Radiology is the branch of medicine that uses radioactive substances, electromagnetic radiation, and sound waves to create images of the body, its organs, and structures. These images help with diagnosis and treatment of diseases and other health problems. Images can also show how well the body and its internal organs and structures are working.

Picture of a female radiologist reading an x-ray

Radiology has become a high-tech science with state-of-the-art equipment to help create images of every part of the body.

Radiation does have potentially harmful side effects. But medical experts say the risks of radiation are outweighed by the information that imaging gives health care providers about a patient's condition.