Clinical Test 1

Question 1

There are two types of xray beams

Answer 1

horizontal and vertical

Question 2

The more dense an object - the more xray it absorbs

Answer 2

therefore the whiter it appears on the xray

Question 3

The less dense an object - the less xray it absorbs

Answer 3

therefore the darker it appears on the xray

Question 4

Conventional radiographs are produced using

Answer 4

ionizing radiation

Question 5

What does PACS stand for

Answer 5

Picture Archiving Communications Storage system

Question 6

Horizontal xray beams are usually parallel

Answer 6

to the floor - an example is an upright xray

Question 7

Vertical xrays beams example

Answer 7

is an abdominal xray while the patient is lying on the table

Question 8

In conventional radiology, an air-fluid or fat-fluid level will be visible only

Answer 8

if the xray beam is horizontal, regardless of the position of the patient.

Question 9

Studies where you can see fluid levels (if present) are:

Answer 9

erect, upright, cross-table, or decubitus

Question 10

Five basic densities seen on xrays

Answer 10

air, fat, soft-tissue or fluid, calcium, and metal

Question 11

Air appears

Answer 11

as the darkest or blackest on xray

Question 12

Fat appears

Answer 12

lighter shade of gray than air on xray

Question 13

Soft-tissue or fluid - because these appear the same on xray -

Answer 13

you cannot differentiate between heart muscle and the blood inside of the heart on a chest film.

Question 14

calcium appears

Answer 14

usually contained within bones

Question 15

metal appears

Answer 15

the whitest on an xray

Question 16

normal lung markings

Answer 16

virtually all of the white lines seen in the lungs on a chest xray are blood vessels

Question 17

bronchi are mostly

Answer 17

invisible on a normal chest xray because they are normally very thin-walled, contain air and are surrounded by air

Question 18

Pleura is composed of two layers

Answer 18

parietal and visceral

Question 19

Pleura contains and is usually not visible on a conventional chest xray

Answer 19

no air and several ML of fluid normally

Question 20

Lateral xrays can help

Answer 20

diagnose disease that you are unsure of or unable to see on a frontal image alone

Question 21

Five key areas which need to be reviewed on a chest xray are:

Answer 21

retrosternal clear space
the hilar region
the fissures
the thoracic spine
the diaphragm and posterior costphrenic sulci

Question 22

the retrosternal clear space is present

Answer 22

behind the sternum

Question 23

the hila produce

Answer 23

no discrete shadow

Question 24

the vetebral bodies are approx. of

Answer 24

equal height and their endplates are parallel to each other

Question 25

the posterior costophrenic angles are

Answer 25

sharp.

Question 26

if there is no cardiomegaly there should be

Answer 26

“space” behind the heart and anterior to the spine

Question 27

the hilar region is difficult to assess

Answer 27

on the frontal view especially if they are slightly enlarged

Question 28

the lateral view can help with the hilar region but

Answer 28

most hilar density is made up of the pulmonary arteries

Question 29

when there is a hilar mass (hilar lymph nodes)

Answer 29

the hilum will cast a distinct, lobulated mass-like shadow on the lateral xray

Question 30

always evaluate the thoracic spine in the

Answer 30

lateral view

Question 31

if there is a compression fx, normally assoc. with osteoporosis

Answer 31

the vetebral body loses height

Question 32

the diaphragm is composed of

Answer 32

muscle

Question 33

only the upper border of the ____ is visible on a chest xray

Answer 33

because it lies below the air filled lung

Question 34

the degree of inspiration can be assessed by

Answer 34

counting the number of posterior ribs visible above the diaphragm of the frontal chest xray

Question 35

9-10 posterior ribs should be counted for a

Answer 35

good inspiration film

Question 36

8-9 ribs is normally

Answer 36

adequate for accurate interpretation of the image

Question 37

portable bedside xrays are always

Answer 37

AP or anterior posterior - so the heart is magnified

Question 38

information that can be obtained from a chest xray include:

Answer 38

• cardiothoracic ratio
• aortic arch
• abdominal situs
• lung fields
• pulmonary vasculature
• bony abnormalities

Question 39

a, b, c, d, e, f approach - systematic approach

Answer 39

a - airway (trachea)
b - bones and bronchi
c - cardiac
d - diaphragm
e - effusions
f - foreign objects