Abnormalities

Question 1

First step in diagnosis of any radiographic lesion?

Answer 1

Is it

Anatomical

Artefactual

Pathological

Question 2

How would one describe a lesion from a radiograph?

Answer 2

Site - relevance to any other anatomy?

Size - boundaries or dimensions

Shape - regular / irregular

Margins - well defined or not well defined, uni/multilocular
- corticated suggests benign
- ‘moth eaten’ suggests malignancy

Internal structure - entirely radiolucent/paque

Effect on adjacent anatomy - impede / not impede

Number - uni/bilateral

Question 3

Why might a lesion be radiolucent?

Answer 3

Bone resorption

Decreased bone mineralisation

Decreased bone thickness

Replacement of bone with less mineralised tissue

Question 4

Why might a lesion be radiopaque?

Answer 4

Increased thickness of bone

Osteosclerosis

Prescience of abnormal tissues

Mineralisation of usually non-mineralised tissue