Magnetic Resonance Imaging, not so long ago a diagnostic tool of last resort, has become pervasive in the landscape of consumer medicine; images of the forbidding tubes, with their promises of revelation, surround us in commercials and on billboards. Magnetic Appeal offers an in-depth exploration of the science and culture of MRI, examining its development and emergence as an imaging technology, its popular appeal and acceptance, and its current use in health care. Understood as modern and uncontroversial by health care professionals and in public discourse, the importance of MRI—or its supposed infallibility—has rarely been questioned. In Magnetic Appeal, Kelly A. Joyce shows how MRI technology grew out of serendipitous circumstances and was adopted for reasons having little to do with patient safety or evidence of efficacy. Drawing on interviews with physicians and MRI technologists, as well as ethnographic research conducted at imaging sites and radiology conferences, Joyce demonstrates that current beliefs about MRI draw on cultural ideas about sight and technology and are reinforced by health care policies and insurance reimbursement practices. Moreover, her unsettling analysis of physicians' and technologists' work practices lets readers consider that MRI scans do not reveal the truth about the body as is popularly believed, nor do they always lead to better outcomes for patients. Although clearly a valuable medical technique, MRI technology cannot necessarily deliver the health outcomes ascribed to it. Magnetic Appeal also addresses broader questions about the importance of medical imaging technologies in American culture and medicine. These technologies, which include ultrasound, X-ray, and MRI, are part of a larger trend in which visual representations have become central to American health, identity, and social relations.

This open access book gives a complete and comprehensive introduction to the fields of medical imaging systems, as designed for a broad range of applications. The authors of the book first explain the foundations of system theory and image processing, before highlighting several modalities in a dedicated chapter. The initial focus is on modalities that are closely related to traditional camera systems such as endoscopy and microscopy. This is followed by more complex image formation processes: magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray projection imaging, computed tomography, X-ray phase-contrast imaging, nuclear imaging, ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography.

Provides basic consumer health information about a range of medical tests, including periodic health exams, general screening tests, and tests that can done at home. Also covered are medical imaging tests, genetic testing, newborn screenings, and sexually transmitted disease tests. Tests are described in layman's terms, with information on procedur

For freshman/sophomore-level courses in Computers in Health Technologies. This comprehensive survey of the interconnections of IT and health care is the only up-to-date text that teaches computer literacy AND introduces students to the uses of information technology in health care and its delivery. It familiarizes students with the basic vocabulary and concepts necessary in computer literacy including discussions of hardware and software, communications and networking, and ethical issues and privacy concerns introduced by the pervasiveness of computers in society. In addition, it discusses how IT is transforming every aspect of health care and its delivery from administrative applications (such as the electronic medical record), to clinical systems involved in direct patient care, to special-purpose applications (such as simulation software used in the education of health care professionals). Section I provides a general introduction to computer literacy and information technology at a level appropriate for health care students. Section II examines the impact of Information Technology on health care specifically in the fields of radiology, telemedicine, surgery, medical devices, pharmacy, and informational resources.