X Ray

X Ray is a type of invisible electromagnetic radiation that has a wavelength short enough to pass through many substances. X-rays are used to examine tissues inside the body. The rays are directed from one side through the area, to be examined, and recorded on a photographic plate on the other side. Dense tissues such as bone transmit fewer X-rays and show up as strong white shadows on the photographic film. The rays can pass easily through the air-flIled 1ungs, which show up as black. Other soft tissues produce pale shadows of varying lightness or dark-ness, depending on their density.

X-rays are of great value in the diagnosis of disorders of the bones and joints. Fractures are clearly demonstrated, and the picture may reveal other bone problems such as osteoporosis, rickets and bone tumours. Disorders of joints and cartilge due to injury, arthritis and gout are also well demonstrated by X-ray.

Chest X-rays are useful for demonstrating the size and shape of the heart and any changes in density within the lungs.

In general. plain X-rays of the digestive system provide less useful information than other investigations, although some gallstones and swallowed foreign bodies show up , as do areas of calcification (for example, in the pancreas in chronic pancreatitis) and abnormal collections of gas or liquid in the intestines or abdominal cavity.

Contrast X-Ray

This is an X-ray technique used to study the outline of the interior of hollow organs. A solution of an X-ray-visible substance is introduced into the organs under investigation, and a series of pictures are taken as the solution moves through them. An X-ray-visible solution used for this purpose is called a contrast medium. Contrast X-rays demonstrate irregularities in the walls of hollow organs, and any partial or total obstruction of their interiors. Examples include barium meals, swallows or enemas, the gut for the spinal canal X-ray pictures showing the shape of the interiors of blood vessels can also be provideed by contrast

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