Anatomy Flashcards
(310 cards)
What is x-ray absorption dependant on?
i. Thickness of tissue
ii. Density of tissue (mass per unit volume)
iii. Atomic number of tissue (to the 4th power) = STRONGEST INFLUENCE: H = 1, C = 6, O = 8, Ca = 20
What does it mean if something is more black on an x-ray?
If something is more black it is more lucent or less opaque (backer)
What is the order of lucency of components of the body?
Air -> fat -> soft tissues, muscle, liver, fluid -> bone
How do we improve the natural differences in x-ray absorption?
Contrast medium
Barium meal
Barium enema
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiograph
Inject radio-opaque material into vessels
What is barium meal?
patient ingests barium (atomic number 56) -> moves through the GIT and allows visualization of the GIT i. Visualize esophagus and stomach almost instantly 1. Commonly endoscopy/gastroscopy is used instead ii. To visualize small bowel drink higher volume and take X-rays over a period of hours (1 hour) 1. Commonly used as small bowel hard to reach with endoscopy
What is a barium enema?
contrast into rectal tube under gravity allows visualization of the large intestine (must clean colon beforehand) i. NB. colonoscopy largely replaced this examination
What is the Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
canulate the ampulla of the pancreas and introduce contrast which runs into the bile duct or pancreatic duct
What is Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography?
Inject thin needle with contrast into the liver allowing visualization of the bile ducts
How do we visualise vessels under x-ray?
Intravscular contrast medium injected either intravenously or intra-arterialy.
Commonly organic salts containing iodine
The contrast medium then distributes through the blood vessels (sometimes extravascular as well). This is then visualised by taking a series of x-rays in quick succession
What is a celiac angiogram?
- Catheter -> select branch of aorta -> 50-20ml of contrast injected and images rapidly taken 2. See it moving through small arteries, capillaries then veins
What is indirect protography?
Catheter-> splenic artery -> 20 seconds -> dense blush -> contrast is opacifying the blood through the splenic vein and as a result of that the portal vein can be visualized
What is an intravenous contrast with biliary excretion?
Molecule transported by hepatocytes complexed to contrast agent which contains iodine -> visualization of the bile ducts
How does a CT scan work?
Ring of X-ray detectors with a moving X-ray tube and the patient is also moving
10-15 seconds to do the entire chest and abdomen (one breath hold)
What is the unit of measurement in a CT scan. What is an area referred to as in a CT scan?
Housenfield unit (greyscale) Voxel - pixel with depth
What is radio-isotope imaging?
Radioisotopes (most common is Tc-99m, good energy short half-life) i. Attach to particular molecules (targets certain tissues) -> introduce to body (usually intravenous) ii. Emit gamma rays -> recorded by “gamma camera”
What is radioisotope biliary imaging?
Radioisotope attached to molecule which behaves like bilirubin ii. Taken up by hepatocytes and excreted iii. Isotopes show up as black (hot areas)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of radioisotope imaging?
Advantage = functional, physiological Downside = poor anatomical resolution
What imaging techniques use ionizing radiation?
Why should it be avoided?
X-ray
CT
PET
Ionizing radiation can be harmful
How does ultrasound worK
Produces thin sectional imaging using echoes returned from tissue interfaces
What is dopler ultrasound?
Doppler effect describes a perceived change in frequency of waves when there is relative movement between source of the wave and observer of the wave
ii. In this case source of sound is the RBC; generate weak echoes but it is strong enough
iii. When ultrasound probe picks up echoes it measure frequency; different to frequency which has gone out -> Doppler shift -> work out which way the blood is flowing
iv. Put a measuring cursor on the screen which feeds into a Doppler frequency equation
What can be measured with a Doppler ultrasound?
i. Allows you to measure speed of blood flow as well as direction ii. Is their blood flow? What direction is it? How fast is it?
How does MRI work?
i. Body is made up of H -> spinning with positive charge -> small magnetic field
ii. In the body there are many spinning protons which magnetic moments -> line up when placed in strong magnetic field (MRI) -> net orientation in line with the magnetic field
iii. Images which are constructed so that you rely on how the magnetization reverts to normal iv. Two parameters in the formulae to describe how magnetization get back to where it was - T1, T2 constants 1. Weight sequencing so that you make use of T1 or T2 2. T1 = (stationary) fluid are black on T1 3. T2 = (stationary) fluid are white on T2
What are the dangers of MRI?
Need to avoid anything metalic
- Cant be used if someone has a pacemaker etc
What percentage of the liver’s blood supply comes from the portal vein and hepatic artery?
What relative oxygen contribution do they make?
i. Portal vein = 75% ii. Hepatic artery = 25%
Both contribute about 50% of the oxygenation