Radiology: Seeing is more than believing

Further work on X-rays and subsequent discoveries have led to the emergence of computed tomography (CT) and other modalities such as ultrasonography (US) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that changed the perception of human bodies, diseases, and their diagnoses.

The result from these medical practices helps take providers and clinicians beyond guessing, and into the answers they need to provide future care and treatment.

“We can see inside the patient, and this tool allows us to add another piece of the puzzle that can add to the overall better Veterans’ care just as laboratory, PACT Teams, we are another piece of that healthcare puzzle.” Said Angela Alvey, Battle Creek VA Medical Center Radiology Supervisor. “Physicians can take that information that they are seeing from the images that we provide and use that to further the diagnosis of a potential problem.”

There are many types - or modalities - of medical imaging procedures, each of which uses different technologies and techniques. Computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, and radiography ("conventional X-ray" including mammography) all use ionizing radiation to generate images of the body.

This unique healthcare technology also diversifies and expands relationships between a Veteran and a physician. Because some diagnoses are part of a health monitoring plan, it results in staff seeing individual Veterans regularly. 

“There was one Veteran who was receiving treatment for liver cancer and required imaging every couple of months, experiencing one of the roughest times of his life, and he was so sweet and calm like he had everything figured out,” said Courtney Wozniak, an MRI Technologist with Battle Creek VA Medical Center’s Radiology. “He stands out for me and made me feel better just in conversation with him as if he knew he was going to be okay and after two years of imaging him, was free of the cancer and we were a part of his journey.”

Wozniak is one of 32 staff members of Battle Creek’s radiology service. Each day, her area of radiology performs between 10-16 MRI procedures. This equates to over 5,000 MRI sessions each year. Altogether, Battle Creek’s radiology service performs approximately 43,000 imaging procedures each year.

The value of radiology in healthcare continues to grow just as the machines and software improves and provides better imaging. These continued improvements in technology can enable a detailed and comprehensive look at what is going on with a Veteran in the moment and serves for better early detection. They are sometimes used to look for future health concerns in its early stages (when it’s small and has not spread), and a person has no symptoms. This may be called early detection or cancer screening tests.

“Radiology is a huge technological field, which is one reason why I got into this field was because of the computers, technology, and programs,” said Alvey. “It’s a field that is growing immensely with new innovation or software that helps enhance the imaging and the precision of what we provide.”

The world of radiology is changing rapidly and advances in medical imaging have greatly improved the accuracy of disease screenings and aid clinicians in diagnosing diseases earlier. For the staff in radiology at Battle Creek VA, the sentiment of who they serve is still at the forefront. Radiology is replacing educated guessing and believing with tangible answers. 

“The patients we serve here are Veterans who have served others and our country, which not only makes our efforts that much more vital and important, but also that much more rewarding,” said Wozniak.