You may be asked to have investigations done in the radiology department.
There are different modalities of test that may be performed.
Plain x-ray: eg. chest x-ray or adomina x-ray or mammograms. These are done
very frequently. All x-rays will have some radiation. Radiation can sometimes
cause cancer. Plain x-rays are very low risks.
Ultrasound: eg ultrasound of gallbladder
Ultrasound are very safe. However it is only suitable for certain organs.
CT (”CAT”) scan: CT stands for computed tomography. These scans contain the
most radiation. It is performed judiciously and only if necessary.
MRI: MRI stands for magnet resonance imaging. It is fast becoming more
available. Theres is no radiation involved with MRI. Again, only certain organs
are suitable for this modality at this time.
Nuclear medicine: as the name suggests, these tests require injection of
radioactive particle into your blood stream in order to evaluate an organ. It is
generally safe however there are certain group of people who can’t have these
tests such as women who are pregnant.