Medical Imaging Explained is a small reference site about the scans doctors use to look inside the body: X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and mammography. It exists because most people meet these tests with little warning and a lot of questions, and the best public explanations are scattered across hospital leaflets, agency pages and specialist sites. The guide gathers what those sources say and puts it in plain language.
What this guide is
It is an independent educational publication written and maintained by its editors. Each factual page lists the public sources it draws on, such as patient information from radiology organisations, national health services, government health agencies and research institutes. Start with the overview of types of medical imaging, the page on radiation, contrast and imaging safety, or the account of preparing for a scan and your results. Shorter guides cover particular scans and situations.
Who it is for
Mainly for two groups. The first is patients and their families who have been booked for a scan and want to know what it involves, what the safety questions mean and how the results are reported. The second is students and teachers who want a clear, sourced starting point. It is written for an international readership, so where practice or guidance differs between countries, the pages say so rather than choosing one.
What it is not
It is not a business, and it sells nothing. It is not a clinic, a hospital, a school or a professional body, it is not an organisation you can join, and it is not connected to any practice, company, agency or regulator. It offers no services, takes no bookings, and does not recommend scans, providers, equipment or products. It cannot give personal medical advice or interpret anyone's own report or images. If you have a health concern, or a question about your own scan, your doctor and imaging team are the right people to ask.
No page on this site has been reviewed by a clinician, and none claims to have been. The pages describe what published sources say. How that is done, and how errors are corrected, is set out in the editorial standards.
How to use it
Treat the guide as a way to prepare for a conversation, not a substitute for one. The page of questions to ask before a scan is a practical place to begin, and reading a radiology report explains why reports are written for your doctor. If you spot a mistake or know of a better public source, you can write to the editors through the contact page.