Radiation is used in medicine in three ways:

• Diagnostic radiology, which uses x-ray machines to obtain images of the inside of the patient's body
• Nuclear medicine, which uses radioactive substances introduced into the patient for diagnosis or treatment
• Radiotherapy, which uses high-power x-ray machines or radioactive sources to treat cancer

Choose a topic from the menu to learn more about the different uses of medical radiation.

• External links for patients and professional users of medical radiation
  Added/updated: 4 September 2008
  
• Publications from NRPB on medical radiation
  Added/updated: 3 December 2009
  
• Patient Dose information
  Added/updated: 4 September 2008
  
• CT scans
  A new study on the risks to patients of CT imaging will be reviewed by Health Protection Agency experts as part of ongoing work.
  Added/updated: 15 December 2009