12th NU 12 Paper - Own Topic

12^th NU12 Paper – If I can invent one machine, it would be…:

THE ULTIMATE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE

Submitted by: thebluetigerMD

March 21, 2013

MBAH – 10B

Entrepreneurship – Class H04

Submitted to: Prof. Jorge Saguinsin

Medical imaging in this modern technology driven era has never been so diversified. From the standard xray, ultrasound, to the more sophisticated CT-scan, MRI, Nuclear Medicine imaging and to the advanced Hybrid PET Molecular (Positron Emission Tomography) scans, the present-day physician has a wide array of imaging modalities to choose from.

However, certain diseases of patients usually require multiple imaging modalities. A breast nodule, for example, may initially be seen in ultrasound. After which X-ray mammography may be done. Inconclusive findings may prompt for a scintimammography scan and so forth. For the average patient,these imaging modalities entails too much cost, not to mention the amount of cumulative radiation exposure the patient gets.

So if I had the opportunity to design a diagnostic machine, it should be an “all-in-one” machine. It should function with the anatomic accuracy of an MRI or CT hybrid with functional accuracy of PET, with minimal radiation exposure like an ultrasound. Although technology of this magnitude is expected to be costly, it should be made affordable to the general population. This would tremendously aid precision diagnosis which will lead to better treatment of patients.