BOPDHB History Tauranga Hospital Centennial Book | Page 40

Did You Know?
• A radiographer (Medical Radiation Technologist – MRT)
is a technician who takes images.
- It requires a three year degree to become qualified.
• A sonographer produces images using ultrasound.
- It takes two to three years to become a qualified
sonographer after achieving a Bachelor of Science or
MRT degree.
• A radiologist is a medical doctor who specialises in the
reading and interpretation of x-rays and other medical
images.
- It takes a minimum of five years’ training as a doctor,
followed by at least two years as a House Office and
then another five years of training as a Registrar to
qualify in the speciality of Radiology. Most go on to
do a one year fellowship for further specialisation in a
specific field after that.

Manually processed film being reviewed and reported (before PACS
Implementation July 2009).

Different Types of X-rays and Scans
• X-ray uses electromagnetic waves, similar to light, that
can pass through the body to make an image.
• Ultrasound uses sound waves that cannot be heard, to
make images of things like abdominal organs, muscles
and tendons, babies in the womb and beating hearts.
• A CT Scan (Computed Tomography) uses x-rays to
make detailed pictures to allow doctors to study all parts
of your body, such as the chest, belly, arms, organs,
blood vessels, bones and spinal cord. It is often used to
diagnose cancer, bleeding in the brain, identify problems
with organs, show vascular conditions, assess bone
diseases and any injuries.

Tauranga Hospital’s third CT Scanner due to be replaced in 2014.

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetism
and radio waves for detailed images that can show all
parts of the body and the organs.
• An angiogram is an x-ray test that uses a special dye
and camera (fluoroscopy) to take pictures of the blood
flow in an artery or a vein. An angiogram can be used
to look at the arteries or veins throughout the body,
including the heart.
• Fluoroscopy is a study of moving body structures,
similar to an x-ray ‘movie’. Barium is a drink that when
swallowed outlines the gastrointestinal tract that cannot
be seen on standard x-rays but shows up during a
fluoroscopy.
• PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System)
allows electronic storage of images that can then be
viewed on computer screens.

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Digital images being reviewed and reported (after PACS Implementation
July 2009).