Radiology is changing as the medical demands change. As the economy is raising the taxes on everything and procedures like x-rays are increasing, there are medical professionals out there that understand how much of a cost impact it is on people that need an x-ray. So medical professionals want to make it affordable.

Let me first off explain why procedures are very expensive like x-rays. The price of running these high tech equipment and the maintenance fees that it cost to make sure that the systems are working properly cost the medical facility thousands of dollars. In order to make profit they need to raise the prices to make what they had to pay out to make it run and then some. They also need to be able to pay for the radiologists that come in and provide their knowledge and assist the patient in finding the diagnosis.

The alternative to the system that we have now will cost less for the medical facilities and the patients. Scientists at the University of Virginia are coming up with a new technique in imaging that will combine magnetic resonance imaging with gamma-ray imaging. They call it “polarized nuclear imaging”. These imaging techniques will use gases that will be for instance inhaled by the patient to be viewed in the lung spaces or the gases will be filled with isotopes that will enter into the bloodstream. You all are probably thinking “OMGSH, that’s dangerous!” Well think again because the amount of isotopes that are inhaled are not a large amount; it is the smallest amount possible and it doesn’t pose a danger to the patient.

So polarized nuclear imaging is one step closer to making healthcare affordable. This new technology would require only one high-tech machine versus two high-tech machines to do this procedure. This will save medical facilities on the cost of running equipment. For example, if it cost the facility $10,000 to run the two machines that are needed, then they switch and only use one machine, it would be half of what they were spending on the two machines. This would save the facility and the patient’s money on the cost of the procedure.

Procedures nowadays are being revamped to make it affordable and to reduce risks that usually occur with older procedures. It is important to know what is going on in the world around us and how it could impact our lives.