Who does imaging tests and who interprets them?

A doctor, a certified technologist, or other health professional may do an imaging test. Depending on what’s involved, the test may be done in a hospital, a special clinic or imaging center, or a doctor’s office. In larger medical centers, imaging tests are usually done in the radiology or nuclear medicine department (even though some types of tests do not involve high-energy radiation).

A radiologist is a specialist in imaging techniques. He or she is the person who usually reads (interprets) the image made during the test. The radiologist writes a report on the findings and sends the report to your doctor. A copy of the report will become part of your patient records. Your other doctors (oncologists, surgeons, etc.) may look at the images, too.