An atom is the basic particle of matter, the smallest (~10^-8cm) particle of a chemical element. Atoms consist of a nucleus with neutrons, positive charged protons and orbiting negative charged electrons. The chemical properties of elements are defined largely by the number of protons in the nucleus. The number of electrons is similar to the number of protons. An atom is ionized when the number of electrons is not equal to the number of protons; the resulting electrical charge depends on the difference between the number of protons and the number of electrons.

See Rutherford-Bohr Atom Model, Ionization.

[Binary Numeral System] Numerical system based on two different states, usually represented by the two symbols 0 and 1. Information storage and processing in modern computers is based on this system. Here the smallest unit is a bit.

See Bit, Byte.

(CCTA) Coronary computed tomography angiography is a diagnostic imaging procedure to visualize the coronary arteries. CCTA is a non-invasive angiogram that allows the assessment of narrowed and clogged arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke.
Coronary CTA is a non-invasive alternative to traditional angiography that offers detailed images of heart function, resulting in faster, more accurate diagnosis. It helps stratify cardiac risk in patients with low to intermediate likelihood of coronary artery disease. For some patients with chest pain, coronary CTA can rule out the need for cardiac catheterization.
Coronary imaging requires a very fast CT scan, because the coronary arteries and other cardiac structures move rapidly during the cardiac cycle. The current 'state of the art' 64 slice multi-detector row CT systems rotate around the patient in less than 500 ms. The data must be acquired monitored by an electrocardiogram, which allows the computer to reconstruct retrospectively slices at different small segments of the cardiac cycle. This cardiac synchronization reduces motion artifacts in the coronary arteries and provides movies of the beating heart and valve motion.
See also Coronary Angiogram, Calcium Score, Cardiac Phase, Cine Mode and Defibrillator.

Imaging refers to the visual representation of an object. Today, diagnostic imaging uses radiology and other techniques, mostly noninvasive, to create pictures of the human body. Diagnostic radiography studies the anatomy and physiology to diagnose an array of medical conditions. The history of medical diagnostic imaging is in many ways the history of radiology. Many imaging techniques also have scientific and industrial applications. Diagnostic imaging in its widest sense is part of biological science and may include medical photography, microscopy and techniques which are not primarily designed to produce images (e.g., electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography).
Brief overview about important developments:
Imaging used for medical purposes, began after the discovery of x-rays by Konrad Roentgen 1896. The first fifty years of radiological imaging, pictures have been created by focusing x-rays on the examined body part and direct depiction onto a single piece of film inside a special cassette.
In the 1950s, first nuclear medicine studies showed the up-take of very low-level radioactive chemicals in organs, using special gamma cameras. This diagnostic imaging technology allows information of biologic processes in vivo. Today, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) play an important role in both clinical research and diagnosis of biochemical and physiologic processes.
In the 1960s, the principals of sonar were applied to diagnostic imaging. Ultrasound has been imported into practically every area of medicine as an important diagnostic tool, and there are great opportunities for its further development. Looking into the future, the grand challenges include targeted contrast imaging, real-time 3D or 4D ultrasound, and molecular imaging. The earliest use of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) was in 1968.
The introduction of computed tomography (CT/CAT) in the 1970s revolutionized medical imaging with cross sectional images of the human body and high contrast between different types of soft tissues. These developments were made possible by analog to digital converters and computers. First, spiral CT (also called helical), then multislice CT (or multi-detector row CT) technology expanded the clinical applications dramatically.
The first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices were tested on clinical patients in 1980. With technological improvements including higher field strength, more open MRI magnets, faster gradient systems, and novel data-acquisition techniques, MRI is a real-time interactive imaging modality that provides both detailed structural and functional information of the body.

Today, imaging in medicine has been developed to a stage that was inconceivable a century ago, with growing modalities:
x-ray projection imaging, including conventional radiography and digital radiography;
All these types of scans are an integral part of modern healthcare. Usually, a radiologist interprets the images. Most clinical studies are acquired by a radiographer or radiologic technologist. In filmless, digital radiology departments all images are acquired and stored on computers. Because of the rapid development of digital imaging modalities, the increasing need for an efficient management leads to the widening of radiology information systems (RIS) and archival of images in digital form in a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). In telemedicine, medical images of MRI scans, x-ray examinations, CT scans and ultrasound pictures are transmitted in real time.

See also Interventional Radiology, Image Quality and CT Scanner.

A display is a computer monitor that shows the processed data from the scanned area. Displays can be black-and-white or color, small or large depending upon the model and price of the machine.

See also Display Field of View, Display Matrix, Window Width, Bit Range, Hounsfield Scale, Interpolation, Minimum Intensity Projection, and Printer.