Radiology Medical Advantages And Disadvantages

What would Wilhelm Roentgen, the father of X-ray, say about the technological discoveries in radiology today? Since the start of X-rays in 1895 significant advancements have revolutionized the field of radiology. One illustrates how different scanners have improved, in addition how picture archiving communication system can assist doctors, and finally the outlook on the future of radiology.

Although I was aware that some rad techs were practicing in some states without a license; I was still surprise by this report, which states that the Sunset Advisory Commission recommends eliminating the need licensure for nearly 20 medical occupations. Including the one we are majoring in. In the last couple months, we have learned a substantial amount of information on patient dose, dose limits, proper shielding and the roles we are going to play as technologist as well as our responsibilities and how the choices that we make can either have a positive or negative effects on our patients if we are not careful or if the radiation is mishandled. This being said what I found even more surprisingly is that the Commission is under the assumption that the “deregulation of radiologic technologist” would have minimal consequences on patient safety.

The contrast dye that is used during cardiac catheterization can lead to many reactions that ranges from mild to serious. The mild symptoms include diaphoresis, pruritus, dyspnea and tachycardia. The more serious reactions include ventricular tachycardia, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, and seizures (Siddiqi, 2014). A nurse can minimize these risks by pre-medicating the patient if the patient is known to have an allergy or a disease that could exacerbate such as asthma. The medications that can be used include prednisone and hydrocortisone. It is also recommended that the

A coronary angiography provides information about the hearts blood pressure and functioning. This procedure can identify whether the coronary arteries are blocked or narrowing. A tube/camera is passed through an artery in the groin or arm; it is guided using x-rays up to the heart. A coronary angiogram is a safe procedure, but there are some small side affect. You may feel a slightly strange sensation when the dye is put down the catheter, a small amount of bleeding when the catheter is removed, a bruise in your groin or arm.

What are the differences between professional component and technical component of radiological services? Knowing the difference is extremely important because the difference can mean a monetary difference to the physician, on how much reimbursement will be. Knowing this and knowing which to bill for also makes an important difference. The professional component covers what the physician does, which is the interpretation, and nothing else. The technical component covers any equipment used, facilities, non-medical staff, and supplies, everything needed for the procedure, except the physician. We also should include the global billing, because that is when all charges, including the physician, and the equipment, facilities, and such were completed at one location. Global is a combination of professional and technical charges because all services were performed at one location. There are modifier codes that are added at the end of the procedure codes that indicate what type of service that is being billed.

In the Nuclear Medicine department, the two most common procedures performed are bone scans and VQ scans (ventilation/perfusion scan). During a Nuclear medicine procedure, the patient is either injected or inhales radioisotopes, which then causes the patient to become the source of radiation that is picked up by a gamma camera. A VQ scan is a two phase scan that requires the patient to be injected with a radioisotope and inhale a gas infused with radioisotopes. This scan is used to determine the blood and air flow of the lungs and detect possible pulmonary emboli. The radioisotopes used for this exam include radioactive Xenon gas and technetium. As for the bone scan the patient is

Of course, you can use an x-ray to look at your kidneys, blood vessels, or brain. But it’s not as clear verses a contrast material. This type of material is very effective to determine a disease or type or problem. This material is very safe and will not hurt the patient. The patient may feel light-headed, a cold feeling in the arm, itching, hives, a warm feeling throughout the body and many more symptoms. The current contrast material I use at my facility is USAN ISOVUE 370. ISOVUE-370 is for angiography throughout the cardiovascular system, arteriography is the radiography of the artery. This is carried out after an injection of ISOVUE-370 material.

After being away for my first year of college, I finally got to see what this world is full of and the plethora of opportunities that are out there. My academic goals consist of completing my requirements at Monterey Peninsula College and earning my Associates Degree, then attempt to get into Cabrillo College’s Radiology Certification program to get my life started. My vocational goals are to get certified as a Radiology Technician, then eventually go a step higher and become a Radiologist. During my college experience, I have experienced what it is like to “wear many hats.” I am a full time college student and athlete, as well as working to help pay off my education. It was a rough start trying to find the time to balance everything,

For this test, dye is injected into a vein in the arm. The dye makes the blood vessels in the lungs and legs show up on x-ray images. The patient will lie on a table, and an x-ray tube will rotate around them. The tube will take pictures from many angles. Results are available within minutes.

Ionic, iodinated IV contrast is a contrast agent that is commonly used in radiology today. Most of the time iodinated contrast agents are used intravenously. Iodinated contrast agents contain iodine as the translucent element and other chemical components that make up its chemical structure. The parent structure that the contrast agent is from a carboxyl group in the form of benzoic acid, to which other chemical components or side chains are attached (Bontrager, 2014). Ionic, iodinated contrast media holds a positively charged side chain element called the cation. The cation is a salt, usually consisting of sodium, meglumine, or a mixture of both. These salts increase the solubility of the contrast media and make them have higher osmolality (Bontrager, 2014). The purpose of using

The human body tissues fall into four major radiodensities; air which appears black, fat which appears gray/black, water which appears gray, and bone which appears white (McKinnis, 2014; Smith, n.d.). Air has the least radiodensity of all body structures, therefore is the most radiolucent on a radiograph (McKinnis, 2014; Lowe, n.d.; Stokell, n.d.). The lucency of air provides contrast to allow visualization of various structures, such as the heart and great vessels outlined against the air-filled lungs in the chest (Lowe, n.d.; Stokell, n.d.). An example is seen on a chest X-ray, where the abnormal appearance of air is seen is conditions such as pneumothorax, esophageal hiatal hernias, and pulmonary abscesses. Fat is more radiodense or opaque then air, but more lucent than bone or soft tissue (McKinnis, 2014; Lowe, n.d.; Stokell,

Manipulating the transducer to obtain an optimal angle of incidence is important. Sub-xiphoid, subcostal and intercostal views are all potentially used to align the beam with the vessel of interest. Stent material is easily seen using two-dimensional ultrasound. “Shadowing is only a problem when stents covered with fabric such as polytetrafluoroethylene are used. In these cases, gas that is embedded in the fabric will cause shadowing for several days, but eventually the gas is absorbed and the covered stents then appear similar to conventional stents.”8 Middleton, Teefey and Darcy8 note that the use of PFTE endografts will likely become standard as their performance outweighs the early stent materials used. Color Doppler as well as pulsed Doppler should be used to interrogate the stent and supporting vessels. Velocity measurements are taken using angle correct and spectral waveforms are recorded. Careful examination of the liver vasculature is imperative to verify proper stent function. Specifically, thrombosis or occlusion can be assessed with color and Doppler ultrasound. Velocity parameters may vary from patient to patient and also will change from immediate post procedure velocities to those obtained during long term follow up. Universal Doppler criteria has not been established as of yet, although some physicians and facilities have developed

In order to boost image resolution and enhance pathology perception, imaging proficiency customarily enrol contrast media. Usually contrast agents recently in use contain iodine, and are further specified as high osmolar contrast media (HOCM), low osmolar contrast media (LOCM), and isotonic contrast media (IOCM), cling to their osmolality relative to plasma. LOCM or IOCM commonly used in majority study. All HOCM agents are ionic, with an osmolality predominantly five to eight times that of plasma. The glomerulus with no tubular reabsorption or excretion instantly sieve the injected contrast media. For patient with normal renal consequence, contrast material within the plasma has a half-life of 1 to 2 hours and almost all will be evacuate within 24 hours. All iodinated contrast agents are dialyzable.

The purpose of the present review is to analyze the advantages and the disadvantages of pediatric sedation in magnetic resonance imaging. The benefits and the risks involved in pediatric sedation in MRI are evaluated in regards to the current literature. The review is considered to be timely because there is an increasing demand for the provision of anesthetic services and sedation services. Most health practitioners should have appropriate skills in the monitoring and rescue their patients through sedation. Therefore, proper training and skills are required in order to tolerate the drug administration process. There is an increasing knowledge of the practitioners on several ways in which they can administer sedatives effective

The radiograph, one of the most common diagnostic imaging tools utilized in this field, possesses a very important component called contrast. Contrast helps radiologists perceive image detail and glean information from the area of interest. Radiation Technologists, or Rad-Techs, should always ensure that radiographs have the right amount of contrast so that the radiologist can easily read them for faster diagnosis.