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THE IMPORTANCE OF X-RAYS

By Alyssa Plante

How Do They Work?

You are positioned so that the part of the body being imaged is located between an x-ray source and an x-ray detector. When the machine is turned on, x-rays travel through your body and are absorbed in different amounts by different tissues, depending on the radiological density of the tissues.

Your doctor will inject you with a contrast dye before some X-rays. This is to improve the quality of the images. The dye—usually iodine —can cause some side effects. These include:

  • hives
  • itching
  • lightheadedness
  • nausea
  • a metallic taste in the mouth

You need to stay still when you are having an x-ray, because motion can cause blurry images. You may be asked to hold your breath or not move for a second or two when the image is being taken.

What Are X-Rays?

Why Are They Important?

How Do They Help?

Your doctor may order an X-ray if he or she needs to look inside your body. For example, your doctor may want to:

  • view an area where you are experiencing pain
  • monitor the progression of a disease, such as osteoporosis
  • see the effect of a treatment method

X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like visible light.

Medical x-rays are used to generate images of tissues and structures inside the body

A bone x-ray is used to:

  • diagnose fractured bones or joint dislocation.

  • demonstrate proper alignment and stabilization of bony fragments following treatment of a fracture.

  • guide orthopedic surgery, such as spine repair/fusion, joint replacement and fracture reductions.

  • look for injury, infection, arthritis, abnormal bone growths and bony changes seen in metabolic conditions.

  • assist in the detection and diagnosis of bone cancer.

  • locate foreign objects in soft tissues around or in bones.

Limitations Of an X-Ray

References

X-ray: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2014, September 8). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003337.htm

X-Ray: Purpose, Procedure & Risks. (2012, July 20). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/x-ray#Overview1

While x-ray images are among the clearest, most detailed views of bone, they provide little information about muscles, tendons or joints.

An MRI may be more useful in identifying bone and joint injuries (e.g., meniscal and ligament tears in the knee, rotator cuff and labrum tears in the shoulder) and in imaging of the spine (because both the bones and the spinal cord can be evaluated). MRI can also detect subtle or occult fractures or bone bruises (also called bone contusions or microfractures) not visible on x-ray images.

CT is being used widely to assess trauma patients in emergency departments. A CT scan can image complicated fractures, subtle fractures or dislocations. In elderly or patients with osteoporosis, a hip fracture may be clearly seen on a CT scan, while it may be barely seen, if at all, on a hip x-ray.

For suspected spine injury or other complicated injuries, 3-D reconstructed CT images can be made without additional radiation exposure to help the diagnosis and treatment of the individual patient's condition.

Bone X-ray. (2014, February 12). Retrieved December 11, 2015, from http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=bonerad

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