How To Read X Rays

This sounds obvious but when you are stressed and under pressure you can skip some of the basics.

How to read x rays. Remember to compare with old x rays. Systematic reading of x rays identify type of fracture simple. Measure the distance from the medial end of each clavicle to the spinous process of the vertebra at the same level which should be equal. This is an x ray of the back teeth on the upper arch. The blue arrows are pointing to the healthy enamel.

Dense materials such as bone and metal show up as white on x rays. The green arrows are pointing to the bone. Reading plain x ray images of the skeleton is a basic radiology skill. A close second to reading chest x rays learning how to read a musculoskeletal image is an essential skill to have much can be said about specific diagnoses that can be made on plain imaging but this post is more about an approach to a general msk x ray whether it is a study of the fingers hands wrists forearms humeri. As a general rule the heart base should not be wider than 1 2 the total width of the diaphragm.

Spiral oblique transverse wedge. If you have the wrong x ray you will be wasting time not saving it step 2 look up the patient s history. Step 1 check the patient s name. For some types of x ray tests a contrast medium such as iodine or barium is introduced into your body to provide greater detail on the images. With x rays you can only see the hard tissues such as the teeth and bone but you cannot see the.

Name and date of birth of the patient side of extremity body date of x ray two views help to fully describe the fracture in both planes. If the heart base is 1 2 the width of the diaphragm on the chest x ray it refers to cardiomegaly or pericardial effusion. The red arrows are pointing to the pulp where the nerve and blood vessels are located for a tooth. The dentin layer is between the enamel and the pulp. Butterfly segment complex.

It is easy to miss a fracture with only one view see red circle. The air in your lungs shows up as black. Systematic reading of x rays information found on the x ray are. Above all else make sure you are looking at the correct chest x ray first. X rays of the two adjacent joints must be taken.