Chest Xrays

Question 1

What colours would the following show up as: gas, soft tissue, bone

Answer 1

Gas is black
Soft tissue is grey
Bone is white

Tissue exposure depends on radiodensity of structures- more radiodense appear white. Plate is white and turns black as waves hit it where less dense structures are

Question 2

What would you want to check about the X-ray

Answer 2

Name
Date taken
View used
Position of patient
Why X-ray was requested

Question 3

What are the A-G rules of looking at an X-ray

Answer 3

Alignment of X-ray- AP enlarges heart, PA prefer in upright
Bones - aligned and in place? Clavicle, ribs, sternum, scapula
Cardiac - size 1/3 of chest.
Diaphragm- costophrenic and cardiophrenic angles
Expansion of chest- see 10th posterior rib
Field of density - lung fields, consolidation,
Gadgets- chest drains, surgical wounds, pacemakers

Question 4

What are the abnormalities that can be seen on an X-ray (5)

Answer 4

Consolidation
Collapse
Pleural effusion
Pneumothorax 
Pulmonary oedema

Question 5

What is consolidation

Answer 5

Area of density in the lung, due to tissue firmness

shows up as grey shadow.

Question 6

What is a lung collapse?

Answer 6

An airless state of the lung

Appears as a grey shadow but a loss of lung volume and can cause shifting

Question 7

What is a pleural effusion

Answer 7

Excess fluid in the pleural cavity

Shows as grey on x ray, fluid line may be visible, fluid can move structures

Question 8

Describe a pneumothorax

Answer 8

Air in a pleural space due to rupture of pleural layers.
Lung becomes squashed, showing as a white dense object
Mediastinum can be misplaced- push structures away

Question 9

What is a pulmonary oedema

Answer 9

Water in the lung, can be alveolar or interstitial fluid and fluid fills airways
Opacities look like a butterfly shadow on X-ray

Question 10

Pul oedema causes, treatment and signs

Answer 10

Heart failure- back pressure from failing heart fills lungs with fluid
Fine crackles in auscultation
Treat with frusomide - a diuretic to dry up fluid
If suction- white frothy pink tinged

Question 11

Pneumothorax causes and treatments

Answer 11

Cause: growing adolescents, bless smokers, bullae burst barotrauma, fractured ribs, surgery inserted lines

Treat: chest drain, no positive pressure

Question 12

Pleural effusion signs and causes

Answer 12

Pushes mediastinum to unaffected side, see a lip line of fluid, loss of costophrenic angles
Causes: pneumonia, tb, cancer, heart liver or kid failure, post surgery

Question 13

Atelectasis causes

Answer 13

Shallow breathing - pain and drowsy, obstruction- sputum, surfactant depletion, absorption atelectasis from surgery (high levels of o2)