Comparison of Radiography and Fluoroscopy - Essay Example

"Comparison of Radiography and Fluoroscopy" is a wonderful example of a paper on radiology. Both radiography and fluoroscopy provide images of internal distortions to the medical professionals. Radiography is used to get still images of bones and other structures present inside the body whereas fluoroscopy is used to get a series of pictures or real-time pictures of the internal body processes.

Digital radiography makes use of solid-state detectors to produce internal images of organs on the computer screen. Digital radiography makes use of low radiation doses for taking images. “Digital radiography uses digital X-ray sensors to record the X-ray onto an image capture device, which then creates a digital image file” (Blake, n.d.). Fluoroscopy, on the other hand, is also a way to determine internal distortions. However, the major difference is the ability of the fluoroscope to capture real-time images of the internal body processes.

Both radiography and fluoroscopy serve academic as well as diagnostic purposes. In medical institutes, medical professors make use of real-time images obtained from fluoroscopy and digital and film-screen radiographs to make students aware of the abnormalities found in the body organs.

Equipment Differences

There also exist some differences in the equipment used for radiography and fluoroscopy. The equipment used for radiography includes an X-ray source, an X-ray monitor, an X-ray CCD camera or an X-ray machine, a CCD camera signal processor, image intensifiers, and an X-ray table on which the patient lays down for examination. On the other hand, the equipment used for fluoroscopy includes a fluoroscope, a fluorescent screen, and X-ray image intensifiers or flat-panel detectors.

Procedural Differences

Let us describe the procedural differences between radiography and fluoroscopy. In the process of radiography, two persons are involved, which are a radiographer and his/her assistant. Both the assistant and the radiographer put smooth-fitting plastic bags around their bodies. They also wear disposable gloves and masks to avoid any bacterial intake and for radiation protection. After that, the actual x-ray procedure starts.

At this time, the actual x-ray procedure starts. The radiographer explains the X-ray procedure to the patient. Next, the assistant places IR properly so that the patients’ exposure side becomes visible to the x-ray tube. The radiographer positions the machine to make the exposures using low radiation doses. After doing the x-ray and storing IR in the machine compartment, both the radiographer and the assistant remove their attires. This was the complete radiography procedure.

In case of fluoroscopy, all other procedure is same except the use of a fluoroscope. The patient is positioned between the fluoroscope, which consists of an image intensifier and an X-ray machine. The distance between the X-ray source and the patient is almost 40 inches, which decreases the exposure and increases image quality. “After the X-ray source beams rays through the body, the image intensifier translates the X-rays into the light, which appear as images” (Kenney, n.d.). The real-time images are then moved to the computer system. Now, the doctor can see the images on the computer screen for diagnosing abnormalities in the internal structures.

These were some of the differences between radiography and fluoroscopy. Although the purpose of both medical processes is the same, the differences in the procedures, equipment, and image production make them different from each other.