MRIs and CT scans have different principles and uses, but they are both essential in modern medicine. Understanding their technical differences, advantages, and disadvantages is crucial for diagnosing and treating diseases, and the possibilities for future advances are endless.
In the modern world, the medical field is evolving and improving every day. People want to live longer than their ancestors, and they want to live a richer and happier life. In this process, the importance of health is becoming more and more prominent, and the human instinct to maintain a healthy life is strong. Perhaps it is due to the inherent human instinct of life-sustaining nature, but it seems that the demand for medical care and research is becoming more important and promising in society. In addition, as the saying goes, if you lose your health, you lose everything, so medical advancements are not just extending life, but also contributing to improving the quality of life.
In a comprehensive sense, medical care is represented by pharmaceuticals and surgery, but the most basic medical care is checkups and medical treatment. From this perspective, when the average person visits a hospital, the most common medical services they receive are preventive checkups and medical treatment when necessary. Nevertheless, people often don’t fully understand the principles and procedures of the various tests and procedures that are performed during this process. In this article, we’re going to explain two of the most common medical tests that most people receive when visiting a doctor, but don’t understand how they work. These are MRI and CT scans.
Computed tomography (CT) involves entering a large, circular machine with an X-ray generator and, unlike a simple X-ray, obtains cross-sectional images of the human body. The X-ray generator consists of a high-voltage generator and an X-ray tube, which is the source of the X-rays. X-rays, as we know them, have been a staple of diagnostic imaging since their discovery by Röntgen at the end of the 19th century. It started out as a very simple machine, but as the technology improved, it became more precise and efficient. For example, the invention of the Coolidge tube revolutionized X-ray imaging, and continued research and development has led to more powerful and sophisticated X-ray devices ever since.
High-voltage generators typically take a voltage of 100 to 200 V, step it up through a single-phase transformer, and then send it to a main transformer to step it up to 3595 kV, and depending on the purpose, it can be used for soft x-rays of about 20 kV to high voltage x-rays of 150 kV. In other words, the voltage controls the quality of the x-rays, the current controls the intensity of the x-rays, and a control panel is needed to control the radiation time of the x-rays. The quality of the X-rays increases as the voltage increases, the wavelength becomes shorter and the penetration rate increases, and the intensity increases in direct proportion to the current. Based on these basic principles, CT has the advantage of providing a clear view of structures and lesions with less overlapping structures.
CT is the standard test for most organs and diseases when a lesion is suspected and needs to be investigated further. It is especially important in emergency situations to quickly assess a patient’s condition and determine a course of treatment. For example, CT’s rapidity and accuracy in diagnosing internal bleeding or severe trauma from a car accident can be crucial in saving lives.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), on the other hand, involves placing a person in a strong magnetic field and briefly emitting a high-frequency pulse that causes only hydrogen atoms to emit, and after a short time, the hydrogen atoms relax and re-emit the absorbed high-frequency signal, which is calculated by a computer to obtain an image. MRI is used as a basic test for the diagnosis of muscle, ligament, and brain disorders, especially in soft tissues, due to its excellent contrast. Another important advantage of MRI is that it does not use radiation. This allows patients to avoid the risk of radiation exposure that can occur when undergoing repeated examinations.
MRI and CT are the basic and most essential lesion-determining tests when diagnosing diseases and treating patients, even though the world of medicine now relies on new technologies and other alternative diagnostic tests have been developed. While they use different principles and methods to obtain images, they ultimately serve the same purpose: to pinpoint a patient’s condition and provide appropriate treatment. Doctors use these tests to save the lives of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters of families and to help them understand their illnesses.
As the medical community advances in the future, it is likely that many alternative technologies will be invented to eliminate the dangers of X-rays, but these new technologies would not be possible without the advancement of current technologies. MRI and CT are not just technologies of the past; they are important tools that are driving current and future medical innovation. Despite their clear differences and different uses, it is important to recognize that MRI and CT have a common thread of protecting the body from harm.
