Chest X-rays Flashcards
What are the different parts of the chest?
(5)
Skeletal
Cartilaginous structures
Respiratory
Digestive
Circulatory
What makes up the skeletal part of the chest?
(5)
Ribs
Spine
Scapulae
Clavicles
Sternum
Proximal humerus
What makes up the cartilaginous structures of the chest?
(2)
Xiphoid process
Costal cartilage
What makes up the digestive part of the chest?
Oesophagus
What makes up the circulatory part of the chest?
(4)
Heart
Major blood vessels
Arterial
Venous
What makes up the respiratory part of the chest?
(3)
Lungs
Airways
Diaphragm
What is the diaphragm made of?
Muscle
How many lobes does the right lung have?
3
How many lobes does the left lobe have?
2
Why does the left lung only have 2 lobes?
Because the heart is behind it
What side of the body is the heart on?
Left side
Why is a chest x-ray important?
It shows all the anatomy in a 2D image
What do we x-ray the chest for?
(5)
Mainly to demonstrate the lung field
Clinical indications, e.g. lung diseases
Cardiac/heart assessments
Airway assessments
Bony assessments
Why are chest x-rays good for primary treatment?
(3)
Because they’re cheaper than other, e.g. CT
They’re done quickly
They’re easily accessible to do
What does CXR stand for?
Chest x-ray
What are the 2 categories of the projections of CXR?
(2)
Standard
Non-standard
What are the standard projections of CXR?
(2)
PA (main projection)
AP
What are the non-standard projections for CXR?
(2)
Lateral
Oblique
What CXR view is the gold standard?
PA
How do we know if an CXR used a PA view?
There’ll be no annotation on the image- annotations are only used when an alternative projection has been used, e.g. AP, supine, etc
Why is PA used on a CXR?
(4)
The heart is an anterior structure inside the chest cavity, so if AP was used, it’d be close to the detector- so PA reduces the magnification of the heart
It prevents breast tissue compression
Less dose is given to the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is radio-sensitive, so it protects it
It improves image quality and provides a sharper image
Is the image sharper when it’s closer or further away from the detector?
Closer
How do we position a patient for a CXR?
(9)
Patient stood upright
Chest close to the detector
Median saggital plane at right angles to detector (patient is stood straight up)
Shoulders shrugged forwards
Dorsum of hands on the back of the hips
Elbows partially flexed and forwards
Head and neck straight and forward
Breathe in but leave shoulders relaxed
Exposure patient at deepest breath in- remember to tell them to breathe again!