What does tomogram mean?
A tomogram is an image constructed through tomography, a process that records information from sections or slices and reconstructs them as a view of an object or body. In medicine, tomograms are commonly produced by techniques such as computed tomography and may depict structures in cross-section. The word also applies to images made through scientific or industrial tomography, including methods used to examine materials, geological formations, and biological specimens. Its specialized origin distinguishes it from an ordinary photograph or a general radiograph: a tomogram is specifically the result of imaging based on sectional data. The term is formal and technical, though medical professionals and patients sometimes use scan as a shorter conversational alternative. A CT tomogram, for example, may reveal abnormalities that are difficult to identify from surface images alone.
nounA picture or image produced by tomography, especially one representing a cross-section of a body or object.
- An image produced by tomography, typically representing a reconstructed cross-section of a body or object.
"The CT tomogram revealed a small lesion deep within the brain."
"The radiologist examined the chest tomogram for signs of pulmonary damage."
"A high-resolution tomogram allowed researchers to inspect the specimen's internal structure."
The standard plural is used when referring to multiple tomographic images.
"The archive contains CT tomograms from dozens of patients."
A tomogram turns hidden slices into a visible whole.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of tomogram
Tomogram combines the combining form tomo-, derived from Greek tomos, meaning a section or part, with -gram, denoting something written or recorded. It belongs to the same scientific word family as tomography and tomograph. As tomography developed into a method for producing images from sectional data in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, tomogram came to designate the resulting image.
Related word forms
How tomogram is actually used
Tomogram is primarily a technical term used in medicine and scientific imaging. In clinical contexts, it may informally be called a scan, although not every scan is specifically a tomogram.
Easily confused with tomogram
A tomogram is the resulting image, whereas a tomograph is the instrument or device used to produce such an image.