Today, x-rays are the most effective and absolutely painless method of diagnostic research. IN modern world Even veterinary clinics are equipped with an X-ray machine. Lung X-rays are the most widely used today. This procedure is carried out not only for adults, but also for children, if absolutely necessary.
By using special apparatus and special rays, the doctor receives an image from which he can determine the presence of a particular pathology. Of course, a photo obtained using an x-ray will only be understandable to a professional. A common person I would hardly be able to determine the pathology of the lungs or any other organ from such an image, but to the doctor the image gives a complete picture of the condition internal organs the body of an adult and a child.
A doctor who has chosen to treat animals as his profession will also be able to determine the presence of pathology in our little brothers, if the veterinary clinic has special equipment.
Unfortunately, x-ray examinations do not always proceed smoothly and as planned. Sometimes it becomes necessary to take an x-ray at night. Is this possible and where can I get x-rays done 24 hours a day?
Where can I get an x-ray?
There is rarely a need for night X-rays in an adult, because responsible people try to monitor their health. More often similar situations concern children. This situation also applies to animals that are urgently take him to the veterinary clinic.
With an adult, everything is simple: he can get an X-ray at the emergency room around the clock and absolutely free. However, such establishments are often famous for queues and not very good-natured doctors. Therefore, despite the fact that an adult 24-hour emergency room with X-rays is available in almost any locality, many are concerned about the question of an alternative solution to the problem.
The only alternative at night may be to undergo an X-ray of the lungs or other organs for a fee. In capital cities there is a service to call a doctor at home, but more often you have to go to private medical centers(for example, Invitro), which perform x-rays of the lungs and other internal organs for a fee. At the same time, a paid x-ray at home or in a clinic is absolutely the same in terms of information content as a free one. There is no difference. Therefore, you should not assume that paid means the best.
In any case, if you prefer a paid X-ray at home or a private 24-hour clinic to an emergency room, then look at the reviews on the Internet and make your choice. In the opinion of many, Invitro is a completely worthy network of private clinics.
Where can you x-ray an animal 24 hours a day?
Often a situation arises in which it is necessary to take an urgent x-ray, especially with animals. After all, our smaller brothers cannot provide themselves with health, much less solve their health problems around the clock, if they suddenly arise.
The options here are about the same as with people:
- calling a veterinarian to your home;
- searching for a veterinary clinic where you can do x-rays around the clock;
- make an appointment with the veterinarian the next day and wait for the appointment.
As for animals, there is no option to go to the emergency room. Since for cats and dogs such medical institutions not provided. In addition, there will be a fee for carrying out an X-ray examination on an animal, whether during the day or at night. When should you sound the alarm and immediately seek the opportunity to consult a veterinarian?
When is an urgent X-ray needed?
Signs that should prompt you to doubt the health of the animal can be a variety of symptoms. However, not every symptom will require 24-hour x-rays.
Here are the most serious manifestations of diseases in animals, in which it is worth looking for an opportunity and a place where X-rays are taken around the clock:
- the animal reacts painfully to touch;
- hemoptysis;
- heavy and uneven breathing during sleep and wakefulness.
These symptoms must be clearly manifested, only then will they indicate a serious cause for concern. However, it is better to overdo it with an attentive attitude towards your pet than to underdo it.
The first snow was falling outside the window. The kids made a snowman and threw snowballs at each other, laughing merrily and squealing with delight. I had no time to laugh. On the table lay fifty X-rays showing fractures of the wrist and ankle joints. And traumatologists took another patient with a suspected radial fracture in a typical location for an x-ray. Winter took its bloody toll.
In this post I will try to create an algorithm for dealing with injury.
1. Trouble comes unexpectedly, but you can prepare for it.
First, get to know a doctor who you can call in case of an emergency. He will definitely tell you who to contact and what to do. Every self-respecting physician has connections among colleagues who allow him to solve problems in related specialties. In addition, “by acquaintance” you will be served much faster and with better quality.
Secondly, study location of the nearest medical centers. Find your emergency room.
Thirdly, always have with you compulsory medical insurance policy(mandatory health insurance) or better VHI (voluntary health insurance). In my practice, I have encountered cases where a patient was denied help on the basis of lack of insurance. But this is a gross violation. You MUST provide first medical care at the place of application, even if you are a visitor from neighboring countries.
2. Typically, a fracture occurs when falling onto the palm, when the hand is directed posteriorly and to the radial side. Main symptoms of a fracture: This is a “fork-shaped” curvature of the forearm, sharp pain, swelling, dysfunction of the hand and fingers.
Algorithm of action in a trauma center.
Appointment with a traumatologist.
What you should do: The traumatologist should create an outpatient card for you (full name, place of residence, circumstances of the injury, etc.), and issue a referral to the X-ray room.
Problems: 1) a queue at government emergency rooms 2) you do not have a compulsory medical insurance policy
Solution: 1) just skip the line. At this stage, the traumatologist only requires a referral for an x-ray. There is an option to immediately go to the x-ray room and try to take a picture “privately”. The average cost of a photo in Moscow is from 300 to 500 rubles.
2) You are required to be accepted without a policy. Also at the place of application. The arguments “go to your emergency room” or “we don’t serve non-residents” are a gross violation.
Appointment with a radiologist.
What you should do: Your photos can be taken on film or in digital format. I don't see much difference. The time you spend in the X-ray room is usually 5-7 minutes. It will take another five minutes to develop the photo and enter your coordinates into the database. Be sure to get the pictures in your hands and keep them with you.
Problems: 1) “Wet” development of photographs (increasing the waiting time for photographs to an hour) 2) They do not hand over photographs. 3) Lack of X-ray protection
Solution: 1) A traumatologist/radiologist in a large crowd of people can look at your images immediately after the fixation process is completed, or as it is called in professional jargon, “in the wet.” This will reduce the waiting time to 10 minutes. After this, the X-ray room staff performs standard manipulations with radiographs, and if there is no fracture, they give you recommendations, or, if there is a fracture, they refer you for reduction and casting.
2) You are not required to give out x-rays, but I highly recommend having them on hand. Especially if you plan to apply to another institution in the future. You can simply ask a radiologist about this. Usually doctors go to a meeting and give pictures about the painting
3) When conducting an X-ray examination, the patient is wearing a protective apron or skirt. Sometimes they “forget” to do this. And despite the fact that the dose of AI is tiny (0.001 mSv), you should remind the x-ray technician about the need for protection.
Reposition and casting.
If the fracture is not displaced, a plaster splint is applied. If the fragments are displaced, reposition is performed under local anesthesia, followed by immobilization with a plaster splint. A plaster cast is applied from the metacarpal heads to the level of the elbow and held in this position by applying circular plaster bandages. The plaster splint should not extend beyond the horizontal fold of the palm, which is the level of the metacarpophalangeal joints.
Problems: A plaster cast has many disadvantages. It is heavy, fragile, and afraid of moisture.
Solution: cast instead of a plaster splint Softcast or better BorkeCast. Advantages: lightweight, very durable, not afraid of moisture, does not cause maceration of the skin, comes in different colors. Disadvantages: the cost of application (including the cost of a bandage) on average in Moscow is 1500-2500 rubles.
Repeated appointment with performing x-rays prescribed after 5-7 days. Full fracture consolidation flow occurs 4-5 weeks and when the fragments are displaced - up to 6-8 weeks.
I would be glad to receive additions and clarifications to this post from fellow traumatologists and radiologists. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them.
Radiography– a classic method of instrumental diagnostics, the study of organs and tissues using X-rays. It is a leading diagnostic method in traumatology and orthopedics. It is widely used at the stage of making a diagnosis, determining treatment tactics, monitoring the effectiveness of surgical interventions and conservative therapy (reposition, realignment, skeletal traction), monitoring the results of treatment in the long term. X-rays are prescribed for fractures, dislocations and fracture-dislocations, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, congenital anomalies, and other diseases and pathological conditions.
Modern traumatology and orthopedics cannot be imagined without X-ray examination. Radiography was and remains the most common and most informative method for diagnosing injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered that X-rays are absorbed differently by tissues of different densities, and, passing through the human body, leave an image of internal organs on a special film. Based on this image, the doctor can determine the location, shape, size and structure of the organ being examined, identify pathological changes, assess their severity and make a diagnosis of disease or injury.
Indications
Indications for X-ray examination in orthopedics and traumatology are suspicion of:
- Traumatic injury to the musculoskeletal system.
- Damage to the organs of the thoracic cavity due to chest injuries.
- Consequences of skeletal trauma.
- Disturbance in the development of the musculoskeletal system.
- Inflammatory and degenerative diseases of bones and joints.
- Tumor-like formations and tumors of joints and bone tissue (if malignant neoplasms are detected, further treatment is carried out oncologists).
The density of the skeleton differs from the density of soft tissues, therefore, in most cases, special preparation and the introduction of contrast agents are not required for bone examination. The only exception is fistulography(a type of x-ray examination for osteomyelitis). The density of muscles, tendons and subcutaneous fat is almost the same, so radiography, as a rule, is not used to diagnose diseases and traumatic injuries of soft tissue.
X-rays clearly show the boundaries and structure of the lungs, which allows radiography to be widely used to identify complications of rib fractures (hemothorax , pneumothorax). X-ray examination is carried out not only during the initial diagnosis of injuries and diseases of the skeleton. Repeated radiographs taken during treatment make it possible to assess the quality of reposition and the degree of fusion fracture, the effectiveness of conservative or surgical treatment.
Contraindications
During radiography, the patient receives a certain dose of ionizing radiation, so X-ray examination should be performed strictly according to indications and in compliance with the rules of radiation protection of the patient. There are no absolute contraindications to the procedure. Relative contraindications are pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, open pneumothorax, pulmonary hemorrhage and the serious condition of the patient. In the latter case, shifting can further aggravate the patient's condition, so he is left on a gurney or on a bed, and X-rays are taken using a mobile X-ray machine.
Description of the procedure
The patient is placed on a special table in accordance with the rules established for taking pictures of certain anatomical areas. Sometimes x-rays are taken while lying down or standing. During the examination, it is necessary to follow all the instructions of the x-ray technician, since changes in body position or movement can worsen the quality of radiographs or completely make the images unsuitable for making a diagnosis. After completing the procedure with analog image processing, the laboratory technician develops the images for 5-10 minutes and then transmits the radiographs to the doctor. Digital image processing is also possible, but this method requires the use of special equipment and is not yet widespread.
X-ray of the foot is a diagnostic method that allows us to identify various traumatic injuries, infectious and inflammatory diseases, and degenerative changes in the tissues of the foot. The procedure allows you to determine the presence of congenital and acquired defects of the skeletal system of the foot, assess the consequences of mechanical lesions, and prevent the development of pathological processes requiring surgical treatment.
An x-ray of the foot can detect the following diseases and conditions:
- congenital or developed flat feet;
- congenital or acquired as a result of acute or chronic trauma bone deformation;
- consequences of foot injuries (dislocation, fracture, crack);
- systemic diseases (gout, arthritis, arthrosis).
In traumatology, x-rays of the foot are performed if there is a suspicion of dislocation, subluxation, fracture or fracture-dislocation of the bones of the foot. A standard study is performed in 2-3 projections.
Indications for x-rays of the foot
The main indications for performing an X-ray examination of the foot are:
- intractable pain in the foot;
- tumor, swelling of the foot;
- pathological change in the color of the skin of the foot;
- suspicion of flat feet;
- deformation, enlargement of the bones of the foot;
- the appearance of visible changes in the size and shape of the foot (tumors, bone enlargements, the appearance of pathological growths on the heel bone and toe bones).
How is a foot x-ray performed?
Performing an x-ray of the foot does not require specialized preparation of the patient. It is sufficient to perform standard hygiene procedures immediately before the study. Before the examination, it is necessary to expose the foot and remove jewelry and metal accessories.
There are several types of x-ray images of the foot: anterior-posterior, oblique, lateral, calcaneus, dorsal-plantar projection.
To take an image in a direct (antero-posterior, dorsal-plantar) projection, the patient lies on his back and bends his legs at the knee; feet rest on the x-ray table. To perform an oblique projection, the patient lies on his side and bends his legs; A pillow is placed between the knees. For oblique scanning, the patient is placed on his side with his legs bent, and his healthy leg is brought forward. The patient's legs are scanned one by one; Subsequently, images of the diseased and healthy feet are compared. In some cases, the study is carried out under mechanical load.
