Information on sodium, for instance, should prove useful in evaluating kidney function, while data on phosphorus can help assess muscle function and tumor activity. One researcher has even proposed a way to determine the temperatures of internal organs, by using MRI to monitor perfluorocarbon liquids injected into the blood and carried to various parts of the body. At the Indiana University Medical Center, two scientists are trying to apply PET to differentiate breast cancer tumors and cysts, which can be nearly indistinguishable with normal imaging methods. And a number of people are attempting to perfect ultrasonic techniques to determine the strength and flexibility of bones. The past two decades have seen a revolution in imaging that is profoundly affecting medicine and research.
Doctors are able to provide more accurate diagnoses and prescribe more effective treatments.
They are beginning to use these sophisticated images to plan surgical procedures in detail. Researchers are coming to grips with heart disease, cancer and other illnesses that are being revealed on film, through lenses and on computer screens. Physicians are on the threshold of being able to beam intricate medical images from small rural hospitals to major medical centers for collaborative diagnosis and expert consultation. It is easy to imagine a time in the near future when surgeons will watch an image on a screen rather than look directly at the patient on the operating table. The image will do a better job of guiding the surgeon s hand by showing important details invisible to the naked eye.