What is the principle of CT examination?

It is a device working with X-rays similarly to a conventional X-ray device on which, for example, images of the lungs or bones are taken. Unlike a conventional X-ray device, where the radiation source (X-ray machine) and the detector passing through the examined person are stationary, CT rotates the X-ray machine and detection system around the patient's body which is thus irradiated gradually from different directions along its entire circumference. The detectors record the amount of radiation passing through the patient's body and the individual images are then digitally reconstructed from this data.

During a CT examination, we obtain a set of successive images representing thin body sections. From the image set, it is subsequently possible to evaluate the individual organs, their structure and possible pathological conditions much more accurately.

For discovering the principle of CT and building the first functional device Housfield and Cormack were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979.

CT angiography (CTA)

CT angiography (CTA) is the imaging of blood vessels using a CT device. The examination is similar to a normal CT examination, however, during the CTA it is necessary to administer an iodine contrast agent into a vein to image the vessels. The contrast agent passes through the blood vessels in the body visualising so the content of the blood vessels. To achieve a high-quality filling of the blood vessels, the contrast medium is usually injected with an automatic injector, where the flow rate and the amount of substance administered are precisely set. To enhance the evaluation of the vessels, the examining physician may reconstruct the imaged vessels in planes different to the originally acquired images, or create three-dimensional reconstructions of the vessels.

HRCT

Computed tomography with high spatial resolution (HRCT) of the lungs (detailed native CT of the chest), which is important for the diagnosis of diffuse lung diseases, inflammatory lung diseases, etc.

What is the principle of MR - magnetic resonance?

Magnetic resonance (MR) is an imaging method which uses the measurement of changes in the magnetic moments of hydrogen atomic nuclei to capture an image of individual tissues. With a few exceptions, MR is the most sensitive method for assessing the morphology and pathology of organs and soft tissues such as the brain, spinal cord, muscles, tendons and joints. However, it is also used to image other organs of the human body.

A common MR device is a closed cylindrical magnet in which the patient must lie still. During the examination, the device makes loud noises, sometimes reminiscent of alternative music. In the protocol of some examinations or to highlight some pathologies, it is necessary to apply gadolinium contrast agent, which is administered during the examination.

MR of mediastinum

MR of mediastinum is used as an alternative to a chest CT or angio-CT of large mediastinal vessels.

MR of the heart

MR of the heart is used to visualise the structural changes of the myocardium (a scar after a heart attack, myocarditis), heart tumors. It is also used to acquire accurate measurements of the kinetics of individual sections of the heart. It is also used in children to examine congenital heart defects.