Modality

Modality is the term used in radiology to refer to one form of imaging e.g. CT scanning. It is often used in the plural form, e.g. various modalities can be employed to evaluate this liver lesion.

More generally, in clinical medicine, the term modality is used for different types of procedures and therapies, e.g. modalities of treatment for cancer include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.

Radiology modalities

• plain x-rays
• fluoroscopy
• nuclear medicine
  • often cross-sectional radiotracer scanning e.g. PET is considered a separate modality from 'traditional' scintigraphy e.g. bone scans
• ultrasound (US)
• computed tomography (CT)
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• hybrid modalities