Clinical Test 1 Flashcards
There are two types of xray beams
horizontal and vertical
The more dense an object - the more xray it absorbs
therefore the whiter it appears on the xray
The less dense an object - the less xray it absorbs
therefore the darker it appears on the xray
Conventional radiographs are produced using
ionizing radiation
What does PACS stand for
Picture Archiving Communications Storage system
Horizontal xray beams are usually parallel
to the floor - an example is an upright xray
Vertical xrays beams example
is an abdominal xray while the patient is lying on the table
In conventional radiology, an air-fluid or fat-fluid level will be visible only
if the xray beam is horizontal, regardless of the position of the patient.
Studies where you can see fluid levels (if present) are:
erect, upright, cross-table, or decubitus
Five basic densities seen on xrays
air, fat, soft-tissue or fluid, calcium, and metal
Air appears
as the darkest or blackest on xray
Fat appears
lighter shade of gray than air on xray
Soft-tissue or fluid - because these appear the same on xray -
you cannot differentiate between heart muscle and the blood inside of the heart on a chest film.
calcium appears
usually contained within bones
metal appears
the whitest on an xray
normal lung markings
virtually all of the white lines seen in the lungs on a chest xray are blood vessels
bronchi are mostly
invisible on a normal chest xray because they are normally very thin-walled, contain air and are surrounded by air
Pleura is composed of two layers
parietal and visceral
Pleura contains and is usually not visible on a conventional chest xray
no air and several ML of fluid normally
Lateral xrays can help
diagnose disease that you are unsure of or unable to see on a frontal image alone
Five key areas which need to be reviewed on a chest xray are:
retrosternal clear space the hilar region the fissures the thoracic spine the diaphragm and posterior costphrenic sulci
the retrosternal clear space is present
behind the sternum
the hila produce
no discrete shadow
the vetebral bodies are approx. of
equal height and their endplates are parallel to each other
the posterior costophrenic angles are
sharp.
if there is no cardiomegaly there should be
“space” behind the heart and anterior to the spine
the hilar region is difficult to assess
on the frontal view especially if they are slightly enlarged
the lateral view can help with the hilar region but
most hilar density is made up of the pulmonary arteries
when there is a hilar mass (hilar lymph nodes)
the hilum will cast a distinct, lobulated mass-like shadow on the lateral xray
always evaluate the thoracic spine in the
lateral view
if there is a compression fx, normally assoc. with osteoporosis
the vetebral body loses height
the diaphragm is composed of
muscle
only the upper border of the ____ is visible on a chest xray
because it lies below the air filled lung
the degree of inspiration can be assessed by
counting the number of posterior ribs visible above the diaphragm of the frontal chest xray
9-10 posterior ribs should be counted for a
good inspiration film
8-9 ribs is normally
adequate for accurate interpretation of the image
portable bedside xrays are always
AP or anterior posterior - so the heart is magnified
information that can be obtained from a chest xray include:
- cardiothoracic ratio
- aortic arch
- abdominal situs
- lung fields
- pulmonary vasculature
- bony abnormalities
a, b, c, d, e, f approach - systematic approach
a - airway (trachea) b - bones and bronchi c - cardiac d - diaphragm e - effusions f - foreign objects
