General Principles of Musculoskeletal Imaging Flashcards
radiology
branch of medicine concerned with radiant energy and radioactive substances (xray, radioactive isotopes) and using it for dx and treatment
radiologists
physicians specializing in radiology
radiographers
professional technicians who produce the images
MSK imaging is commonly referred to as
xrays
what is the most efficient means of demonstrating a bone or joint abnormality?
MSK imaging X-rays
radiodensity
how much radiation it absorbs from the x-ray beam
greater the object’s atomic number, volume density, thickness, the ___________ its radiodensity
greater
lowest radiodensity out of air, fat, water
air
highest radiodensity out of air, fat, water
water
radiographic density
amount of blackening on the radiograph
The greater the object radiodensity, the _____ the radiographic density, resulting in a ________ image
less; whiter image
The lesser the object radiodensity, the _______ the radiographic density, resulting in a ________ image
greater; blacker image
Rank the five major radiodensities.
-Air (most radiographic, least radiodensity)
-Fat/Oil
-Water
-Bones
-Metal
the thicker an object, the more radiation it will absorb, the _____ radiodense
more
Projection
describes the path of the x-ray beam
most common projection terms
anteroposterior (AP)
posteroanterior (PA)
lateral
