Radiology Flashcards
When looking at an MRI picture what must you remember?
You are looking at the patient from feet up
the projection might distort the size (AP vs PA)
what are limitations of x rays
2d representation
overlapping structures obstructed
no depth perception
what are good things of x rays
great spatial resolution
immediate results
what is a grey area on an x ray
soft tissues
what is a dark area on an x ray
air. (low density)
what is a white area on an xray
bone/metal
3 fates of xrays
transmitted
absorbed
scattered
trendelenburg body position
lying down with head lower than feet
fowler’s body position
lying down head higher than feet
radiographic density
amount of exposure or blackness on the radiograph
radiographic contrast
difference in density between adjacent area of a radiographic image
spatial resolution
recorded sharpness of structures on the image. clarity, sharpness or detail of an image
what happens when there are 2 structures that are the same density next to each other on an xray
cant see margins they merge together
contrast agent
substance used to increase the contrast between organs/ vessels/ fluids or other structures withn the body that do not have natural inherent contrast with surrounding tissues
why iv contrast
improves sensitivity : detection
improves specificity: characterization
improves certainty
create ct and mri angiograms
advantages of a ct
quick motion not much of a problem grey scale can be manipulated on viewing screen excellent resolution in most areas widely available and cheaper than mri
disadvantages of ct
ionizing radiation
renal function must be evaluated if contrast is used
some patients are allergic to iodine contrast
mri t1
csf dark
tr and te are short
mri t2
csf white
tr and te are long
advantages of mri
nonionizing
better soft tissue contrast
extremely versatile - can use variety of sequences fo rvisualizing specific tissue
disadvantages of mri
longer time for sequences more expensive images cant be manpulate gantry narrow - claustrophobia no metal noisy
transverse orientation (ultrasound)
probe marker towards patient’s right
sagittal orientation (ulrasound)
probe marker towards patients head
xray pros
easy, available less than 30 min 1-3 rad cheap