RADIOLOGIC

ASSESSMENT
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
• X-RAYS ARE A FORM OF IONIZING
RADIATION, HAVING A VERY SHORT
WAVELENGTH.

• WITHOUT THE USE OF MONITORING

EQUIPMENT, HUMANS ARE NOT
ABLE TO "FIND" IONIZING
RADIATION. IN CONTRAST TO HEAT,
LIGHT, ODORS AND NOISE,
HUMANS ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE,
FEEL, TASTE, SMELL, OR HEAR
IONIZING RADIATION.
Thermionic Emission
•
RADIODENSITY OF COMMON MATERIALS

DENSITY – WHITE/UNEXPOSED PENETRATION

DENSITY – DARK/EXPOSED PENETRATION

 RADIODENSITY OF COMMON MATERIALS

RADIOLUCENT/EXPOSED/DARK RADIOOPAQUE/UNEXPOSED/WHITE
• AIR – LEAST RADIODENSE MATERIAL (EX. • BONE – GREATEST DENSITY AMONG
ALVEOLI, BRONCHI, BRONCHIOLES) ANATOMIC STRUCTURES

• WATER – DENSER THAN AIR,

CASTS A GRAY SHADOW
• FAT – DENSER THAN WATER,
CASTS A LIGHTER GRAY
SHADOW
MANMADE MATERIALS
ARTIFICIAL AIRWAYS,
INDWELLING CATHETERS ARE
MADE OF PLASTIC
(PVC/POLYVINYL CHLORIDE)
• Low radiodensity, radiopaque
line is molded for precise
determination of position
METALS – SURGICAL CLIPS,
STAPLES AND WIRES
• Most radiodense material,
appear brighter than bony
structures
• Foreign objects – bullets, coins
X-RAY VIEWS OF THE CHEST

The AP view is
most commonly
obtained by use
of a “portable”
technique.
LATERAL NECK VIEW
EBSTEIN’S ANOMALY
TETRALOGY OF FALLOT
TOTAL ANOMALOUS
PULMONARY VENOUS RETURN
PARTIAL ANOMALOUS
PULMONARY VENOUS RETURN
TRANSPOSITION OF THE
GREAT ARTERIES
COMMON ABNORMALITIES
ON THE CHEST RADIOGRAPH
MEDIASTINAL SHIFT - a result of
unilateral lung volume
changes, the mediastinum
may shift to the affected side,
owing to the greater
expansion of the unaffected
lung
RETROSTERNAL SPACE - a normal lucency between the
posterior aspect of the sternum and anterior aspect of the
ascending aorta
TRACHEA SHIFTS TOWARD
THE AFFECTED AREA
*right lower lobe
TRACHEA IS “PUSHED” AWAY
NORMAL HEART SHADOW <1/2
OF THE THORAX
GROUND-GLASS APPEARANCE
‘Air bronchogram’ is a characteristic
sign of consolidation
FOREIGN OBJECTS
 VENTILATION-PERFUSION SCANNING

VENTILATION SCAN CAN DETECT DEFECTS

(OBSTRUCTION) TO VENTILATION TO LOBES PERFUSION SCAN CAN DETECT OBSTRUCTION IN TH
OR SEGMENTS OF THE LUNG. PULMONARY CIRCULATION.
COMPUTED
TOMOGRAPHY OF THE
CHEST
THE IMAGE IS PRODUCED BY ROTATING
THE X-RAY TUBE AROUND THE PATIENT,
FOCUSING THE X-RAY ENERGY TOWARD A
CENTRAL POINT, MAKING SLICES FROM
SUPERIOR TO INFERIOR OR INFERIOR TO
SUPERIOR
VIEWING THE CHEST RADIOGRAPH

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Evaluate the 2. Evaluate the 3. Evaluate the 4. Evaluate the 5. Evaluate the 6. Evaluate the 7. Evaluate the
extrathoracic ribs, tracing pleura, hemidiaphrag sternum and spinal costophrenic
soft tissue, each, looking observing for ms, noting the clavicles, processes. angles,
observing for for fractures, changes in position of observing for observing for
subcutaneous healed thickness and each fractures or blunting.
air or fluid. fractures, presence of air diaphragm deformities.
missing ribs, or or fluid. relative to the
other other.
deformities.
 8. Evaluate the lung 10. Evaluate the cardiac
9. Evaluate the hilum,
fields, noting any unusual silhouette, noting the 11. Evaluate the trachea,
noting its relative size and
lung markings, opacities, 1 2 relative ratio of cardiac 3 noting its position, and
extent of its fullness
nodular densities, or size and thoracic identify the carina.
(radiodensity).
other abnormalities. diameter.

12. Identify any lines, 15. Note and correlate

artificial airways, ECG any changes in opacity
13. Evaluate the 14. Evaluate the
leads or pacemaker or other findings with the
5 retrosternal air space on 6 hemidiaphragms and 7
wires, nasogastric or PA projection to form a
the lateral film. pleura on the lateral film.
feeding tubes, and chest three-dimensional
tubes. image.