Missing Fractures .

In radiology sometimes the x-rays miss fractures on bones. This normally happens because the focus elements are out of wack or someone has set the kVp levels differently to what the intended amount is for the certain body part. Missing these fractures is a serious matter because you can miss important fractures on person that would affect them later in life or sooner then later. Also by missing fractures your aiding in the doctor misdiagnosing the patient which is not good for the patients health at all. A fracture being missed is slightly common because small fractures can be so small and barley noticeable that technicians think it might just be scatter or fog on the x-ray. Scatter or fog on the x-ray happens when the film has been mishandled or the lighting was off and can appear on the film looking like a fracture. Although this is what can happen on an x-ray it's still the technicians fault because if they think it may be scatter or fog they but their uncertain then they should re-take the x-ray to be certain. Doing more preventative steps like these will help in not missing fractures and help the doctor correctly diagnose the patient.   

CR and DR .

The old way of taking a x-ray is using a darkroom but now there's Computed Radiography and Direct Radiography. Computed Radiography is where a phosphor plate is used to capture image and not film or cassette and then a laser reader scans image to be able to view it more clearly. Direct Radiography is where the image is directly made into an electrical signal and then it's put into the computer and ready to be read. Although DR is very expensive, wired directly, and limited movement for this reason CR is more common. These two forms of taking an x-ray are becoming extremely helpful in recent years helping radiologist getting images quicker. Also these ways help reduce the amount of radiation.  

Burns .

In radiology getting burned is unfortunately common. The proper name for getting burned is by definition called erythema which means reddening of the face and skin. These burns hurt pretty bad it's equivalent to getting second or third degree burns depending on the strength of the burn. Getting burned is more uncommon then common however because now radiologist's and radiology technicians know better the amount of exposure to give each patient. Also there are guidelines to not getting burned which are called ALARA which means As Low As Reasonably Achievable. The four steps to this are all exposure has benefit, all exposures use ALARA, dose levels should remain below maximum allowed for certain procedures, and always follow ten commandments. The ten commandments are basically the principles for every radiologists. The first is understanding radiology control meaning time, distance, and shielding. Second is do not allow familiarity to result in false security. The third is do not stand in the primary x-ray beam. Fourthly always wear protective apparel when not behind barrier. The fifth one is always wear a radiation monitor. Sixth would be never hold patients (exposure). Seventh is protect patient if needed. Eighth commandment is use gonadal shield on people of child bearing age. The ninth one would be examination of the abdomen use every protection necessary. Finally the tenth commandment is always collimate. To follow all these guidelines and protections is to ensure safety to the patient and you.

Outdated CT Procolos .

Outdated CT protocols are a widespread problem in radiology right now. In a hospital you could have a brand new CT scanner, but the protocol could still be outdated and imported from a previous unit. For best possible imaging new scanners need undated protocols so they can be optimized for reduced radiation does levels that are available today. There have been many advances in the world of radiology with CT scanners but many practices are not taking full advantage of this. If a practice were to take full advantage they would see there are many dose-reduction tools available for today. The best thing is today's new advances allow for reduction in radiation exposure yet still allowing for high-quality imaging.

Nuclear Breast Imaging In Radiology .

Doing a nuclear breast image, some experts say, may increase a woman's risk of developing radiation-induced cancer. A single breast specific gamma imaging (BSGI) or position emission mammography (PEM), which are both forms of nuclear breast imaging, have a lifetime risk of a woman getting radiation cancer then if she were to have annual screenings of mammography starting at age 40. BSGI's and PEM's, which have been approved by the FDA, have been promising in detecting cancer, yet both have an injection of radioactive material to the patient. BSGI by definition means using a high-resolution gamma camera allowing mild compression of the breast, also includes a nuclear radiotracer which gets absorbed more quickly by cancerous cells. In PEM, radioactive material is absorbed by the body to measure metabolic activity and determine presence of disease.

MRI For Evaluating Knee Pain In The Elderly. Yay Or Nay?

Knee pain in the elderly has been very common for as long as anyone can remember. It is most common in those of fifty years and older. Studies have shown that the most likely cause of knee pain in the elderly is Osteoarthritis or OA rather the pain being acute or chronic it's still extremely painful. Using a MRI on knee pain like this has positive and negative results which has physicians bickering back and forth about weather or not to use it. Starting with the positives, using an MRI on knee pain can pin-point exactly what is the cause of the pain is in the patient and there is no "if", "and's", or "but's" on the diagnosis. Nevertheless there are negatives about using MRI's on knee pain. For instance using it causes overuse of expensive imaging, delay in diagnosis and treatment when waiting for the images to be processed, inconveniences to patients, and increases health care costs. All in all using an MRI for elderly knee pain is useful but to a limit. I feel as though it should be up to the patient if their doctor has told them the cause of the knee pain and they want to be more sure then request a MRI if not then just stick with what the doctor is telling you. I came to this conclusion because looking at the negative aspects tells me it would be more beneficial if you don't utilize the MRI when most likely all that is wrong with an elderly persons knee is OA.

Molecular Imaging .

Molecular imaging or MI is gaining respect in the U.S. As of right now it's extremely popular in Europe however some in the U.S. feel it's risky and unneeded for most procedures. The use of MI is very risky, difficult to understand, and heavily regulated. The vast majority of physicians here feel it will open new ways to the future of personalized medicine and boosts imaging research and open new ways to better funding. The main focus of MI as of now is cardiovascular diseases to see if using MI would be more useful in evaluating diseases of the heart. The most common reason MI is gaining popularity is because imaging is much clearer for a doctor to diagnose. Also a MI image is presentable in less then 30 seconds and is less stressful on the body. As I see the most useful part about MI is a doctor can clearly and easily screen two completely separate targets at the same time. I personally hope doctors in the U.S. make MI more permanent because it can help find a disease that could not be found in other tests. However, because of the limitations on MI I feel that using this method should be a last resort, to only be used if other tests have been done to try and diagnose someone and they failed that is when a MI should be used.