Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine

Overview

Radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine have been the three pillars of radiology for a long time, but in recent years, academic systems have been differentiated and developed in different fields, and academic activities and education are now conducted in each field. Our department is in charge of diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine.　The examination methods handled include simple radiography, mammography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, angiography, nuclear medicine, PET, and many others. In daily practice, it is important to prepare reading reports of these examinations as part of their duties. We are also responsible for IVR, including biopsy and treatment using angiography and CT.　In addition to radioiodine therapy for Graves' disease and thyroid cancer, we are also actively engaged in radioimmunotherapy for malignant lymphoma and pain treatment for bone metastases. Specifically, in PET, positron nuclei are produced by a cyclotron installed in the hospital, and are used in routine cancer treatment and in advanced research on molecular imaging.　Our department has a highly specialized and abundant teaching staff, and through lectures and clinical practice, students can receive a well-rounded education in a wide range of fields using images taken with the latest equipment installed at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital.

Education Details

In the first semester of the second year of the School of Medicine, we are in charge of "Basic Biomedical Imaging," which is conducted in parallel with lectures and practical training in anatomy, and are given lectures on imaging anatomy from the principles of imaging for various imaging tests. The purpose of this course is to enable the students to understand what kind of equipment is used to take each image and what organs are being imaged, before the systematic clinical lectures begin.　After that, we lecture on diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine for each disease in systematic lectures. In the second semester of the fourth year, an original e-learning system linked to the DICOM viewer used in many hospitals to observe medical images is developed to promote understanding of the diagnostic process of typical diseases before the start of clinical practice. The system promotes understanding of the diagnostic process of typical diseases prior to the start of clinical practice. In the subsequent clinical practice, students actually create a diagnostic report for each disease using a reading terminal and have it checked by staff members, thus practicing clinical participation-style practice. In parallel, we let students deepen their understanding by observing IVR and ultrasound examination procedures and RI treatment.

Research Details

? Pathophysiological analysis using the latest diagnostic imaging techniques
? Creation of clinically meaningful images by image processing using dedicated workstations
? Development of new molecular imaging methods and investigation of their clinical usefulness
? Establishment of new diagnostic methods for various diseases

Faculty

Shuji Sakai
Michinobu Nagao
Satoru Morita
Kazufumi Suzuki
Koichiro Kaneko

Graduate School

The research theme is diagnostic imaging or molecular imaging and students aim to develop new diagnostic methods in the area or fields of interest. The validity of the developed diagnostic methods should also be verified. Our department offers a well-balanced research and educational program that allows students to combine clinical and research work, and to continue their graduate studies while pursuing a career as a clinician, including specialist training.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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