Radiologisch

Radiology is a medical specialty concerned with imaging to diagnose, monitor, and treat disease. The term radiologisch is the adjectival form used in Dutch and German for radiology-related imaging and findings. Radiologists interpret images, report results, and may perform or guide procedures. The field encompasses conventional X-ray radiography and fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and nuclear medicine techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Interventional radiology is a subspecialty that performs minimally invasive therapies under image guidance, including angiography, biopsies, catheter-based treatments, embolization, and ablation. Imaging modalities are selected to optimize diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up. Non-invasive imaging is used in screening and disease surveillance, while image-guided procedures expand therapeutic options with reduced recovery times compared with open surgery.

Safety and regulation are integral to radiology due to ionizing radiation and contrast agents. Techniques like ultrasound and MRI avoid ionizing radiation, while X-ray and CT require dose optimization under the ALARA principle. Radiologists and radiologic technologists collaborate to ensure patient safety, monitor exposure, manage contrast use, and address allergies or kidney risk associated with iodinated or gadolinium-based agents.

Historically, the field began with Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895, followed by the development of CT and MRI in the late 20th century. Today, radiology spans diagnostic imaging and interventional therapies, playing a central role in many medical specialties.