Take 3: C-Arm Takes The Stage

In 1955, the same year Gunsmoke made its first debut on tv as well as the same year Disneyland opened in California, the very first C-Arm was introduced. This piece of fluoro machinery has made an incredible contribution to the medical field and has become an essential tool in hospital surgical suites and clinics. Trauma, orthopedics, vascular, spinal, cardio--surgeries of all sorts have been taken to a whole new level with this invention. How so? During surgeries and procedures, doctors are now able to monitor progress at any time allowing them to ensure proper placement, make corrections as needed, and reduce the risk of mistakes which then results in a decreased number of follow-up operations. Furthermore, this promotes better overall treatment results and patient recovery.

I have always had a desire to work in the medical field, but I never really knew what is what I wanted to do. That changed two years ago when I began watching Grey's Anatomy, and that is also when I realized that I wanted to marry an intelligent and dashing man as Derek Shepherd. Just Kidding, just kidding... but seriously ;) lol. For reals now, I realized what I wanted to do when I began working in a podiatry clinic where I was given incredible opportunities, one of which was the opportunity to attend cadaver labs. The first time I had ever seen a C-Arm in real life was in the first cadaver lab I had ever attended. In fact, I didn't even know what the device was when I first saw it! The more I observed surgeries (and watched Grey's Anatomy, haha) and cadaver labs, the more I became enthralled with this C-Arm and I knew radiology is where I was supposed to be. It's surgery! It's an "x-ray movie"! There's Lights! There's Cameras! There's Action! and it's AWESOME!

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Take 4: Components of Fluoroscopy

The fluoroscope unit is similar to that of a general x-ray unit; however there is one key difference-- it's flipped flopped. On a regular x-ray unit, the tube is positioned above the patient table and the image receptor is underneath the patient. On the other hand, the fluoro x-ray tube is located underneath the patient table and the image receptor above. Here is a simple description of each of the components of the fluoroscopy unit: 1. Generator : This is important for converting the alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) which then allows for the adjustment of mAs and kVp as well as to select pulsed fluoroscopy (ASRT, 2010). 2. X-Ray Tube : This is contained within a glass or metal tube to help prevent leakage and scatter radiation. DC will flow from cathode to anode; and once the electrons reach the anode, x-rays are produced. 3. Collimator: Blades that allow for modification of shape/size of x-ray fie...

Take 7: Image Intensifier vs Flat Panel Detector

As mentioned before in "Take 4," the Image Intensifier (II) and Flat Panel Detector (FPD) are important fluoroscopic components that function similarly yet are different. Since we know that the purpose of each component is to brighten the image without increasing dose, here is a brief comparison of the difference of both the II and FPD. Here is what's different about the II: Consists of input phosphor, photocathode, electrostatic focusing lenses, anode, output phosphor, and glass envelope Input phosphor: absorb and convert x-rays to light photons Photocathode: absorbs the light created by input phosphor and then emits photo(light)electrons Electrostatic focusing lenses: guides and directs photoelectrons to output phosphor Anode : these photoelectrons then pass through the anode Output Phosphor: converts the photoelectrons that exited the anode to light photons Here is what's different about the FPD: "All flat panel detectors used in radiol...

Take 9: Dose Limits & Exposure Patterns

For the protection and safety of radiation workers ands staff, it is very important to limit the amount of dose as much as possible. It is our responsibility as radiation workers to keep radiation exposure ALARA- As Low As Reasonably Achievable! In addition to the three keys (time, distance, and shielding) of radiation safety and protection, there are other ways to manage dose. For example, the number of image taken and repeated. During fluoroscopy, setting the number of frames per second is one way the radiologist can limit patient dose. The more frames (or pictures) taken per second, the more radiation being exposed to the patient and surrounding people (ASRT, 2010). In order to effectively protect workers and patients, dose limits have been established. Check out the table below!... sorry for the poor quality screenshot. Note: Dose equivalent is measured in Sieverts and/ or rems. (1 rem= .01 Sv) Statkiewicz-Sherer, Mary Alice...

Zoe's "Take" on Fluoroscopy

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