The Shadowy World Of Radiology

Innovations in imaging is one of the most important advancements to revolutionise modern medicine.

- Dr Rajat Bhargava

It was seemingly a routine day for me in my radiology department with several scans piled up for reporting. But my flow was being regularly interrupted with a stream of clinical colleagues who wanted to see the scans of their patients. Each one wanting to know the various possible diagnoses that we had to offer for the patients. It was in the midst of this, that my surgeon colleague barged in and wondered if one of his young patients in the Emergency Room with a history of minor injury by a bicycle accident, would need a CT scan. 

He said that based on relatively innocuous preliminary findings, they were considering to discharge the patient, but for the fact that there was a niggling abdomen pain, he is going to order a CT scan. He also added for a good measure that the chances of finding something on the scan are low. 

At 6 pm, it was my phone call which interrupted the surgeon as he was driving back home. With an urgency in my tone, I told him that the CT scan of his young patient shows a complete pancreatic tear with bleeding and would warrant an urgent surgery. “Are you sure?” was his immediate incredulous reaction. It is after some years of practice and managing many emergencies successfully that surgeons start believing in the advice of their colleagues from radiology. We were steadfast in our finding, hence the patient was promptly wheeled to the OR. Soon enough, the findings were confirmed and the bleeding pancreas were repaired. Danger averted, the patient went home healthy in a few days leaving everybody with a satisfied smile.