*Radiology Flashcards
MOST SUSCEPTIBLE
organs to cancer induction
- bone marrow
- colon
- lung
- stomach
MOST COMMON CANCERS TO
METASTASIZE TO THE FOOT
- breast
- prostate
- lung
- kidney
Moderately susceptible
organs to cancer induction
- bladder
- breast
- liver
- esophagus
- thyroid
are children or adults more susceptible to cancer induction from radiation?
children
because children have more cells that are growing and dividing rapidly, their organs and tissues are growing, and they have a longer lifespan ahead of them, giving cancers more time to develop.
ALARA
“As Low as Reasonably Achievable”
for radiation protection, minimize the imaging doses when possible
radiation protection
methods
- ALARA - “as low as reasonably achievable”
- Exposed personnel monitored by film badge
- lead shielding and increasing distance from the source
- shielding within the room
difference in level of ionization between:
radiographs and CT
CT has much higher level of radiation than radiograph
general position for x-rays
- weight-bearing
- angle and base of gait
- Feet ABducted 15 degrees
- Medial malleoli 2” apart
Kilovoltage peak
(kVp)
contrast or gray scale
increasing kVp → more penetrating x-ray w/ increased latitute, shorter exposure time, less x-ray tube heat
increasing kVp = less exposure to patient
milliamperage (mA)
Quantity / Density
- controls quantity or amount of x-ray emitted from the x-ray tube
- *most important factor controlling radiographic density
reduce radiation exposure by reducing mA
exposure factor:
distance
fidelity
- fidelity: true size/shape of original object)
- to achieve maximum fidelity, distance of object to film must be kept to a minimum
small focal spot (decreased distance) = better detail
Compton effect
occurs when x-ray photon interacts w/ an outer shell electron
occurs mostly above 80 kVp
causes less radiation to patient and is detrimental to image
grid
composed of alternating strips of lead and aluminum spacers to control, by absorbing, scatter radiation
collimation
method of limiting the area of an xray beam, which by law cannot exceed film size
light beam from collimator maps the area of the x-ray beam
photoelectric effect
occurs at lower kVp when an xray collides with a lower shell electron
the electron is ejected and another higher shell electron fills its space, releasing energy
photoelectric effect is beneficial to image, but results in greater absorption of radiation of patient
orthoposer
the platform that enables weight-bearing images of the foot and ankle to be obtained
x-ray film or image receptors on the orthoposer can lie flat or be placed vertically
hard x-rays
produced by increased kVp
- higher energy (photon energies above 5-10 kVp)
- short-wavelength
- high frequency
- increased penetration
- less dangerous to the patient
soft x-rays
produced by decreased kVp
- long-wavelength
- low frequency
- low penetration
- lower energy
- more dangerous to patient
difference b/w CR and DR
- Computed radiography (CR) - uses a reusable CR-specific cassette instead of standard x-ray film; image on cassette is run through the CR reader, where the image is scanned into digital format
- Digital radiography (DR) - transfers the x-ray directly into a digital signal
what determines film speed?
what does film speed affect?
size of the silver bromide (AgBr) crystals
larger the size of the AgBr crystals → the thicker the emulsion layer
faster the film → darker the image
x-ray machine requirements
(vary by state)
- dead-man type exposure switch w/6-foot cord
-
machines < 70 kVp do not need 1-2 degree barriers or special lead-lined rooms
- the majority of podiatric x-rays are taken below 70 kVp
- lead aprons, gloves, and goggles are 0.25 mm thick
- gonadal shields 0.5 mm lead equivalent
relative radiographic densities
from highest density → lowest
cortex - cancellous - muscle - nerve - tendon - ligament - subq - fat - air
order from LEAST to MOST dense:
tendon, muscle, ligament, nerve, sub q
- subQ (least dense)
- ligament
- tendon
- nerve
- muscle
DP
foot position
- central ray aimed at 2nd met-cuneiform joint
- 15° from vertical
when examining foot for a foreign body, this view may be taken perpendicular for better spatial location