What’s the Difference Between Radiologic Technology and Medical Sonography?

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Radiologic technology and medical sonography are both used to make medical diagnoses, but there are key differences between them. They use different technology, tools, and procedures to generate images of internal organs, bones, muscles, and tissues. And while both help diagnose illness and injury, each has its areas of specialty. The professionals who run the technology are also different: Radiologic Technicians and Medial Sonographers.

How Does Radiology Work?

Radiologic technology uses radiation, through X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs, to visualize bones, tissues, and internal organs. In the most common form of radiologic technology, an X-ray sends a small amount of radiation through the body. Soft tissues, like muscles and organs, allow the rays to pass through and appear gray or dark on the X-ray, but bones block the rays and show up as white. This contrast helps doctors identify fractures, infections, or abnormalities in bones and organs.

Other types of radiologic scans include CT scans, MRIs, and mammograms. CT scans, known as computed tomography, use a series of X-rays to create detailed images of bones and tissues. MRIs, or magnetic resonance imaging, scan the body using magnets and radio waves to create images of the organs, bones, muscles, and blood vessels. Mammography is a form of X-Ray that uses low doses of radiation to help identify breast cancer. While X-rays and mammography are primarily used for diagnosis, CT scans and MRIs are used to monitor cancer progression and other diseases.

How Does Medical Sonography Work?

Medical sonography does not use any type of radiation. Instead, it uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of your body. As a medical sonographer, you apply gel to a patient’s skin to reduce the friction of the wand—called a transducer—which emits sound waves. Similar to how a ship’s radar sends out electromagnet waves, the sound waves from sonography bounce off tissues and organs to create a visual image of internal body structures. It is commonly used to look at organs, like the heart, and developing fetuses, making it an especially important tool in obstetrics and cardiology.

Safety of Radiology and Sonography

Because medical sonography doesn’t use radiation, it is considered extremely safe and doesn’t require any special protection for the patient or sonographer. But radiology requires protection for the patient and radiology technician, so you don’t get overexposed to radiation. As a tech, you stand in a protected space while you take images or wear goggles, a lead-lined apron, and gloves when operating the equipment. You also need to cover any area of the patient’s body that isn’t being captured with a lead-lined blanket to ensure only the area being imaged is exposed.

reviewing x rays

What Does Radiology Diagnose and Treat?

You may already know that radiology is used to detect broken bones, but it’s also used to discover and assess a variety of other issues including:

  • Arthritis and osteoporosis
  • Heart blockages, congenital heart defects, embolisms, and aortic aneurysms
  • Strokes, brain tumors, and spinal conditions
  • Cancers and tumors
  • Kidney stones, gallstones, and intestinal blockages
  • Pneumonia, abscesses, and soft tissue infections

Radiology also helps treat a variety of illnesses by using its images to help locate and extract tissue samples during biopsies. And through radiology oncology, it can treat cancer by using its high-energy radiation to target and destroy cancer cells.

ultrasound

What Does Sonography Diagnose and Treat?

While sonographs or ultrasounds may be most commonly associated with monitoring pregnancy and fetal health, sonography is an important tool in the diagnosis of a wide range of illnesses. Among the conditions it can help detect are:

  • Cysts and tumors
  • Kidney stones and gallstones
  • Blood clots, blockages, and aneurysms
  • Thyroid, lymph, and salivary gland issues
  • Pancreatic abnormalities and liver disease
  • Congenital heart defects
  • Issues with the bladder, spleen, and digestive organs

Although sonography is mostly used as a diagnostic tool, high-intensity focused ultrasound can also be used to treat tumors, fibroids, and some cancers.

Radiologic Technician and Medical Sonographer Duties

The jobs of radiologic technicians and medical sonographers are influenced by the differences between them, but they are more alike than they are not. In either role, you would schedule appointments, answer patients’ questions, and perform the intended procedure. You’d ensure quality images are captured and hand them off to the doctor for diagnosis. You also clean and maintain the medical equipment and call for a technician when it breaks down.

For either role, you also need a high school diploma and career training. At Charter College, we offer an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology and an Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography that can prepare you for an entry-level career in healthcare. The programs are led by instructors with years of experience in the industry who are dedicated to your success. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.