Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Imaging techniques
- X-rays
- High frequency, high
energy radio waves
- They pass through most
soft tissues of the body
but are absorbed by bone
- The x-ray source is placed
as close to the patients
injury as possible
- A piece of unexposed film is
placed underneath the injury
- A short burst of x-rays are fired
onto the injured area
- The film is developed. This
turns the x-ray black
- Dark grey shows fat
- Black shows gas/ air
- Light grey shows muscle/
soft tissue
- White shows bone
- Bright white
shows metal
- Safety precautions
- 1. Protective screens
made of lead
- 2. Lead shield used to
cover and protect organs
- 3. Limit on the amount of
x-rays per person
- 4. Only x-ray the
injured area
- Advantages
- 1. Clear pictures
- 2. Relatively cheap
- 3. Quick and simple
- Disadvantages
- 1. High dosages of radiation may lead
to radiation poisoning/ cancer
- 2. Can't identify soft
tissue injuries
- 3. There is a limit on the
amount you can have
- CT or CAT scans
- Computed tomography or
computed axial tomography
- Uses x-ray protons to
produce an image
- Difference: detectors and
florescent screen rotate
around patient
- The rotate around the
gantry and scan the
patient in a helical pattern
- The image and
information is interpreted
by a computer software
- This provides the radiographer
with a detailed 3D image
- Advantages
- provides a large
amount of detailed data
- Can be used to look
inside the body
- Internal organs, blood
vessels, bones and brain
- Presents images in
"slices" through the body
- Disadvantages
- More expensive
than x-rays
- Higher effective
dose than x-rays
- Requires a cooperative/
sedated patient
- Ultra sound scan
- Frequency of
2-20MHz
- Transmitted and
received via a probe
- The probe contains
a transducer
- This acts as a "loud speaker"
and "microphone"
- Waves are reflected
by tissues depending
on their density
- Gel is used to prevent
reflection at the surface
- The reflected wave signals
are converted to an image
- Advantages
- 1. cheaper than other
imaging techniques
- 2. Non-ionising radiation
- 3. Non invasive
- 4. Good soft tissue
resolution
- Disadvantages
- 1. Nothing can be
seen behind bone
- MRI
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- A non-ionising radiation
imaging technique
- The MRI scanner applies
magnetic field which causes H
atoms to align with it
- A radio frequency (RF) pulse is
applied at right angles to the
magnetic field
- This causes the H atoms
to gain energy and spin
in the same direction
- (Synchronously)
- The H atoms are described
as being "in phase"
- When the RF
pulse finishes two
things happen:
- First they give
out energy to the
surroundings
- Secondly they go
"out of phase" and
spin asynchronously
- Energy given out is
detected and interpreted
by computer software
- Producing in a highly
detailed image
- Advantages
- 1.
Non-ionising
- 2. Highly
detailed
images
- 3. Useful for
soft tissue
imaging
- Brain,
spinal cord,
bones,
joints,
breasts,
blood
vessels,
internal
organs such
as the liver,
womb or
prostate
gland
- Disadvantages
- 1. Very
expensive
- 2. Cant be used on
patients with metal
implants
- 3. Cant be performed
on claustrophobic or
obese patients