G8 - Medical Imaging

Question 1

What color would air, fat, soft tissue/fluid, bones/calcium, and metal appear on an x-ray? Which medium do the most x-rays pass through? What about the least? None?

Answer 1

Air - black
Fat - gray
Soft tissue/fluid - lighter gray
Bone - white
Metal - bright white

Most - air
Least - bones/calcium
None - metal

Question 2

In which planes can you get a CT scan?

Answer 2

Axial - horizontal plane that divides top and bottom
Coronal - vertical plane that divides front and back
Sagittal - vertical plane that divides left and right

Question 3

At what view is this CT image taken? Which parts are anterior, posterior, right, and left?

Answer 3

Axial
Top = anterior
Bottom = posterior
Left side = right
Right side = left

Question 4

For ultrasound, what would you call a structure that shows a complete or near absence of returning sound waves (echoes)? Give an example of one.

Answer 4

Anechoic
Ex. Fluid

Question 5

For ultrasound, what would you call a structure that returns a few sound waves (echoes)? Give an example of one.

Answer 5

Hypoechoic
Ex. Soft tissue

Question 6

For ultrasound, what would you call a structure that has a large amplitude of returning sound waves (echoes)? Give an example of one.

Answer 6

Hyperechoic
Ex. Bone/air

Question 7

Can ultrasound make it through air?

Answer 7

No

Question 8

What would be the image orientation if your ultrasound transducer probe is facing towards the patient’s right or head?

Answer 8

Top of screen = closer to probe (anterior/superficial)
Bottom of screen = further from probe (posterior/deeper)
Left side of screen = patient’s head or right side
Right side of screen = patient’s feet or left side

Question 9

What is lit up white in a T1 MRI? What about a T2 MRI?

Answer 9

T1 - fatty structures, like brain (focus on anatomy)
T2 - fluids, like CSF (focus on pathology)

Question 10

Which brain MRI is T1-weighted and which is T2-weighted?

Answer 10

Left = T1
Right = T2