X Rays Flashcards
Name some reasons why you would take an image?
Trauma Degenerative diseases Metabolic diseases Infections Neoplasms
What does lucent lesions of bone mean?
Dark areas of an X Ray
What does sclerotic lesions of bone mean?
Light areas
What does periosteal reactions of bone mean?
Loss of smooth appearance of the edges of bone
What does soft tissue calcifications mean?
White patches on soft tissue
What does osteopenia mean?
Localised reduction of bone density
What does osteonecrosis mean?
Death of the bone with loss of shape of the bones
In an X Ray what are you looking for?
Lucent lesions Sclerotic lesions Periosteal reactions Soft tissue calcifications Osteopenia Osteonecrosis Fractures Orthopaedic hardware Joint integrity (loss of joint space/ loss of joint orientation)
What is seen in X rays and what is not seen?
Can only see calcified tissue: bone
Not soft tissue, vessels, nerves etc
What do children’s X rays often have?
Epiceal growth plates
What changes are you looking for in abnormal X rays
Shape, size, orientation of bones and joint surfaces Breaks in the bone Extra bone (calcification) Loss of bone Foreign objects
Name some limitations of X rays
Soft tissue doesn’t show up well
Not very sensitive (30% of bone mass has to be lost to show up)
Bone in front can obscure viewing
Can’t see what’s happening inside the bone
What are DEXA scans?
Dual Energy X-ray Absorption
Uses 2 energy sources
