Imaging Flashcards
When is imaging indicated?
Only when positive findings will influence decision making.
Sensitivity of plain film radiographs
Not sensitive to subtle pathology. Significant change to bone must occur before radiographs will reveal it. False negatives for stress injuries, metabolic bone disease, infections, non-displaced fractures, and neoplasms is high.
What is the standard for acute injuries?
MRI, due to low potential for false negatives
Symptomatic areas taking away attention from other areas
Sometimes the more obvious or more symptomatic areas obscure the need for imaging or other injuries (ankle sprains accompanied by foot fractures)
What are radiographs useful for
Demonstrate bony pathology or relationship of foreign objects to skeletal structures. (Some bony tumors/infections, fractures, avulsion fractures, and late stage stress fractures)
Tissue colors on radiograph
Air absorbs the least radiation and appears most radiolucent (has darkest appearance). Fat, fluids, soft tissue, muscle, bone, and metal will progressively absorb more radiation (appearing more white or radiopaque)
Minimal radiographic examination
At least 2 views of the body part at right angles to each other
When to use more sensitive imaging, even after using x-rays
The sensitivity is not great and if your pretest probability highly suggests the pathology
Ottawa Knee Rules
- Aged 55 or older
- TTP at fibular head
- Isolated TTP of patella
- Inability to flex knee to 90
- Inability to bear weight (4 steps; 2 on each leg, regardless of limping. Immediately and at presentation)
Ottawa Ankle/Foot Rules
- Bony TTP along 6 cm of posterior edge or tip of medial malleolus
- Bony TTP along 6 cm of posterior edge or tip of medial malleolus
- Inability to bear weight immediately and in ER for 4 steps
- Bony TTP at base of 5th
- Bony TTP at navicular bone
Canadian C-Spine Rules
High Risk Factors:
Age > 65, dangerous mechanism (fall >1 m or 5 stairs; axial load to head; MVC > 100 k/h, rollover, or ejection; motorized recreational vehicle; bike collision), paresthesias in extremities
Low Risk Factors (Don’t Need Images):
Simple rear end MVC, sitting while in ER, ambulatory at any time, delayed onset neck pain, absence of midline c-spine TTP
Neck Rotation:
Can they rotate 45 degrees to L and R
Tomography
Tomography is a type of body section radiography that allows for visualization of lesions down to 1 mm or lesions that might be obscured by overlying structures when imaged with plain radiographs.
Conventional tomography and compute tomography (CT scans)
CT Scans Image What?
The most striking difference is between bone and soft tissue. The ability to differentiate types of soft tissue such as tendons and ligaments is limited. Well suited to examine the spine and extremities. Much better than MRI for cortical bone details.
CT vs MRI for spine
CT provides better details for things like spinal osteophytes, spinal fractures (pars or burst). MRI better for disc herniations.
MRI
Images both bone and soft tissue structures with excellent resolution in 3 dimensions
What is signal intensity?
The strength of the radio wave that tissue emits following removal of radio frequency pulse. The strength of the radio wave produces either bright high-signal-intensity or dark-low-signal intensity images. Signal intensity in a specific tissue will depend both on the T1 and T2 relaxation times and the relative concentration of hydrogen ions.
T1 vs T2 relaxation time
T1 or longitudinal relaxation refers to return of protons to equilibrium following application and removal of RF pulse. The T2 or transverse relaxation time describes the associated loss of coherence between individual protons immediately following application of the RF pulse.