Intro To Radiology (?) Flashcards
Who discovered radiology?
wilhelm Conrad roentgen
Properties of X-rays
Penetrate most matter
affect photographic film
makes some chemicals emit light
ionize matter
ionization
removal of an electron (negative charge) from an atom
What is the most white thing you see in an X-ray
Metal
Photographic properties of radiograph
Density, contrast
Density refers to …
The amount of overall blackness on the film
Contrast refers to …
The shades of gray on the image
ABCs of radiologic interpretation
Alignment, bone, cartilage space, soft tissue
Alignment
Lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, deformity, spondylolisthesis, fracture alignment
Bone
Cortex, medullar cavity, trabecular pattern, overall density
Cartilage spaces
Disc spaces and all joints
Soft tissues
Organs, blood vessels.
Cardinal rule
Must have at least two views at 90 degrees to each other
x-ray advantages
relatively inexpensive
widely available
useful to visualize osseous structures and joints
x-rays disadvantages
ionizing radiation
does not show soft tissue well
may not detect subtle osseous pathology
CT (computed tomography)
patient lies in gantry and x-ray tube travels around them
obtains cross sectional images of body
CT advantages
fine bony detail and cortical bone
gold standard for head trauma
good for thorax, liver, GI tract
fast
less expensive than MRI
CT disadvantages
high levels of ionizing radiation
less soft tissue detail than MRI
MRI
