References

By Nihon A., Ariana A., Whiteny M.

Advanced Radiology. (2009). Fluoroscopy. Retrieved from http://www.aradiology.com/procedures/fluroscopy/index.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012).Medical x-ray. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/radiationemittingproductsandprocedures/medicalimaging/medicalx-rays/ucm115354.htm

FER. (2012). Image processing group. Retrieved from http://www.fer.unizg.hr/ipg/research/catether

Nature Clinical Practice Urology. (2012). Fluoroscopic mage. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/nrurol/journal/v4/n9/fig_tab/ncpuro0883_F1.html

New York Radiology Partners. (2009). Fluoroscopy. Retrieved from http://www.nyrp.com/fluoroscopy.html

Uniformed services University of Health Sciences. (2012).Fluoroscopic mage. Retrieved from http://rad.usuhs.mil/rad/home/fluoro.html

RPOP. (2012). Fluoroscopy. Retrieved from https://rpop.iaea.org/rpop/rpop/content/informationfor/healthprofessionals/1_radiology/fluoroscopy.htm

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Sander, L., Lacy, D., Ellis, C., Little , C., & Mace, H. (2009).Investigating science 10. Canada: Pearson Canada Inc.

Impact of Fluoroscopy on a patients

Benefits-

Benefits of a Fluoroscopy outweighs the risks when medical attention is needed for a patient. It's much easier to use than other machines and technology such as tiny cameras or capsules with intact cameras to look at internal organs. It's much faster and better for the doctor to do treatment, and for the patient. Also, fluoroscopy can precisely identify the sources of pain and discomfort of a patient, rather than doing numerous tests that may take a long time.

This video shows some of the advantages from a doctor's perspective, and how it can help them too-

Risks-

Overdose of radiation can happen if the patient is being scanned for a long period of time, and can cause cancer even though chances are low, later in life.

Short term risks such as skin damage and burn can happen due to heat and radiation produces by the machine.

If fluoroscopy is needed, doctors must make sure that the patient get exposed to the lowest possible radiation, for the shortest possible time.

Images of Scans

Here are 2 images of what a scanned organ looks like. Doctors interpret these kind of images to detect and diagnose problems.

Image #1


This scan shows the spinal cord, and the kidneys of a patient. As you can see, the lower part of the spinal cord is swollen and in an abnormal shape. This is due to hepatic tumor, which has been detected, with the help of contrast liquids.

Image #2

This image shows a healthy large intestines. and the digestive track. The contrasted liquid appears white, and the air appears black. There are no abnormal regions, and this tells the doctors that the patient is fine. Pictures like these are what fluoroscopy mostly create, to help the doctors analyze effectively.

How does a Fluoroscopy work?

To use a fluoroscopy, the patient is required to in digest a contrast or fluorescent liquid such as barium, iodine, etc. This is how the internal organs appear on the x-ray video as the patient is being scanned by the beam of x-ray. Doctors can then clearly see movements and the organs clearly.

To work the machine, a technologist uses a switch to control the x-ray beam, which gets transmitted through the patient. The x-rays hit the contrast liquid which makes the organs visible and send the information through a camera to the monitor which the doctor is observing. Below is an image of what the image looks like in a monitor.   
 
This video shows most of the process

What is the purpose of a Fluoroscopy in medicine/health field?

Fluoroscopy is a type of medical imaging that shows a continuous x-ray image on a monitor, much like an x-ray video. This instrument is used to see the movement of organs, such as stomach, intestines, etc in detail and diagnose any problems or diseases detected. 


















  Fluoroscopy may be used to guide biopsies or remove fluid from the chest or abdomen. Fluoroscopy is also used to study blood vessels of the heart and brain, to see if there are any clog or cholesterol in the arteries, arterioles, etc.