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The 1927 Breakthrough: How did Egas Moniz change the history of medical imaging?
From the 1910s to the 1920s, medical imaging technology gradually improved. One of the most turning events was the pioneering of angiography technology by Egas Moniz in 1927 at the University of Lisbon. The technology focuses on visualizing a patient's blood vessels, specifically arteries, veins, and heart chambers, opening new opportunities for diagnosing a variety of neurological diseases.
Whether it is in clinical diagnosis or treatment, the birth of angiography technology has shocked the medical community.
Moniz's angiography technology is the first to perform X-ray imaging of intracranial blood vessels by injecting contrast media, a process that allows doctors to identify problems such as arterial disease, tumors, and arteriovenous malformations. The passage of time, from the first aortagraphy performed by Reynaldo dos Santos in Lisbon in 1929 to the subsequent technological developments, shows the importance of the Portuguese medical community in this field.
Technological Evolution
Talking about the technology itself, the basics of angiography include entering blood vessels through the femoral artery or jugular vein, and using catheters and wires to flexibly guide contrast media into the blood vessels to facilitate the generation of X-ray images.
This technology allows interventional radiologists to clearly observe the narrowing of blood vessels and identify lesions that may cause blood flow obstruction.
With the introduction of digital subtraction angiography (DSA), doctors can observe lesions in clearer images. The image acquisition technology for the heart is more special, because images need to be captured at a higher frame rate to observe cardiac dynamics, and subtraction technology cannot be used.
Applications of angiography
Today, angiography is widely used in many fields, the most common of which includes coronary artery imaging. This procedure, usually performed under local anesthesia, introduces contrast material through a catheter into the coronary arteries, providing detailed information about the narrowing of the blood vessels.
During this process, doctors can use balloon dilation or place stents to improve blood flow channels and further strengthen the health of the heart blood vessels.
In addition to coronary angiography, techniques such as intracranial vascular photography, pulmonary vascular photography, and peripheral vascular photography are also extremely important clinically. Intracranial angiography is particularly helpful in detecting possible arteriovenous malformations and aneurysms.
Complications and risks
Although angiography is relatively safe, like other medical procedures, there are still risks and complications. Local pain, allergic reactions, and even bleeding may occur during the procedure.
Through early CT scan detection, doctors can more accurately assess possible blood clots, thereby reducing the risk of surgery.
In addition, the use of contrast media also needs to be carefully considered, because allergic reactions that may be caused by contrast media are very rare in some cases.
Conclusion
The vascular photography technology pioneered by Egas Moniz not only revolutionized the application of medical imaging, but also promoted the development of neurology and cardiovascular medicine. As technology advances and medical research deepens, this technology will continue to change our understanding of the human circulatory system. How will angiography technology further develop in the future and what impact will it have on improving patient health outcomes?
