B4.030 Prework Chest XRay Basics Flashcards
five basic film densities, listed from darkest to lightest
- air
- fat
- water (soft tissue)
- bone
- metal
2 types of CXR
single view
two view
2 variants of the single view CXR
inspiratory and expiratory films (frontal)
lateral decubitus films
when should you get a single view?
patient physically unable to have a lateral view obtained
patient for whom repeated radiation exposure is a concern
AP
anterior to posterior
used in single view
PA
posterior to anterior
used in two view
why is getting a two view extremely important in all cases where it can be obtained?
having the lateral view helps confirm whether or not a finding on the frontal view is real and also helps to localize it in 3 dimensions
how are lateral decubitus CXRs named
side laying down on = side named for
when are lateral decubitus or insp/exp films helpful?
pneumothoraces pleural effusions (free flowing?)
miller method of looking at a CXR
identify all tubes and catheters cardiac silhouette mediastinum pulmonary hila (vasculature) lungs pleura spaces bones and chest wall lateral view
what should be the width of the cardiac silhouette?
< 50% of chest diameter
how should the mediastinum look?
skinnier than the cardiac silhouette with sharply defined margins
how do pulmonary hila normally appear?
pretty ill defined network of vasculature radiating out into lungs
what is the “silhouette sign”
no sharp interface between the heart and lung
can happen in pneumonia or CHF
why might the pulmonary hila be too big and very well defined?
pulmonary hypertension
