General Medical Imaging: market research reports

Today very few healthcare decisions are made without some type of medical image. Medical imaging is a process wherein an image is created of a part of the human body, tissue and organs for the purpose of examination and diagnosis. For the most part, medical imaging involves the production of images of internal organs or functions through noninvasive methods. Images of removed organs or tissue would be considered to fall under pathology.

Various technologies are used in medical imaging, including radiography (x-rays), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound or ultrasonography, nuclear medicine (also known as molecular medicine or molecular imaging and therapeutics), and computed tomography (CT).

These use x-rays, gamma rays, high-frequency sound waves, and magnetic fields in order to produce internal images of the body.

More recently, medical imaging technologies have been transitioning to digital formats, allowing for easier sharing of images with specialists that are off-site. Also, software has been developed that turns CT, MRI and ultrasound images into 3-dimensional images to assist physicians in making better diagnoses. 3D images are created by computer by combining many scans to produce a 3D model.