Radiation in medicine: Origins, risks and aspirations

Authors

  • Mohamed Donya Aswan Heart Centre
  • Mark Radford Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre
  • Ahmed ElGuindy Aswan Heart Centre
  • David Firmin Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK
  • Magdi Yacoub Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre

Abstract

The use of radiation in medicine is now pervasive and routine. From their crude beginnings 100 years ago, diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy have all evolved into advanced techniques, and are regarded as essential tools across all branches and specialties of medicine.

The inherent properties of ionizing radiation provide many benefits, but can also cause potential harm. Its use within medical practice thus involves an informed judgment regarding the risk/benefit ratio. This judgment requires not only medical knowledge, but also an understanding of radiation itself.

This work provides a global perspective on radiation risks, exposure and mitigation strategies.

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Published

2017-06-30

Issue

Vol. 2014 No. 4 (2014)

Section

Review articles

License

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.