Medical Imaging (X-ray, CT Scan, MRI)

Over the past century, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and doctors have worked untiringly to develop and fine-tune highly effective medical imaging equipment—tools that play a vital role in diagnosis and treatment. Combining rarely seen archival footage, interviews with imaging specialists, and incredible medical images, this program highlights milestones in X-ray scanning, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and nuclear imaging.

A single CT scan is the equivalent of hundreds of chest X-rays—leading some experts to view the widely used procedure as a dangerous medical gamble. This program offers detailed information on radiation screening tests, their benefits, and hazards they may pose to individuals with certain medical profiles. The complexity of the issue emerges in the stories of three women: Kyla, whose thyroid cancer may be the result of frequent X-ray imaging; Paula, who suffers from life-threatening heart disease caused by childhood radiation treatments; and Jo-Ann, a CT scan recipient who must now consider skipping regular mammograms—because of physician advice to avoid excess radiation