Many of us are familiar with the most common type of medical imaging equipment, X-rays, but did you know that there are many different types of imaging machines that help doctors diagnose health issues? The advances in medical imaging equipment are amazing, and an example of some machines you might not know as much about are electron microscopes, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI’s), ultrasounds.

Electron microscopes are a great tool for physicians and clinicians to get a better sense of what’s going on at the basest level. Because electron microscopes can magnify at a level of 2,000,000 times, they are used in anatomic pathology, which identifies orgnalles within a patient’s cells. Although immunhistochemistry, a new method has taken some of the focus off of electron microscopy, this essential medical imaging equipment is irreplaceable for the identification of immotile cilia syndrome, the diagnosis of kidney disease, and many other things.

Most of us have heard of MRI’s, but what are they exactly? Simply explained, a magnetic resonance imaging scanner uses the power of magnets to polarize and excite the hydrogen nuclei in water molecules that are present in all human tissues, and this then produces a detectable signal which can be interpreted to create images of the body. This type of medical equipment is especially useful for identifying soft tissue problems, such as those in the joints or the brain, because X-Rays work more specifically for harder tissues like bone.

Another medical imaging machine you may have heard of are ultrasounds, especially for pregnant women looking at their unborn babies. It is have very broad uses in medicine however, including imaging the abdomen, heart, breast, muscles, tendons, arteries and veins. How does it work and what do doctors use it for? Medical ultrasound instruments use high frequency broadband sound waves in varying degress in the megahertz range to produce 3-dimensional images. These ultrasound images do not have the anatomical detail of images produced by an MRI machine, it is widely used because it is appears to not have any adverse side effects and is safe to use. Ultrasounds are also relatively inexpensive as opposed to catscans or MRI’s, so they continue to be a staple in medical offices and hospitals.

These are just three examples of the medical imaging equipment available today. Technology continues to advance and there are sure to be many more exciting developments to come in the world of medical equipment and supplies, and you can expect the level of healthcare to commensurately increase.

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