Diagnostic imaging
Plain radiography (X-rays)
An image formed by exposure to short wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation (X-rays) that pass through the body and hit a photographic
receptor (radiographic plate or film) placed behind the patient’s body.
Useful for detecting fractures, dislocations and many bony abnormalities
including degenerative joint disease
These block the X-rays and help visualize the structure:
Angiography (blood vessels
Arthrography (joints)
Discography (intervertebral disc space)
Myelography (thecal sac)
cord and cauda equina.
Tenography (tendon sheath)
Computed tomography (CT)
Involves scanning part of the body from several angles by rotating a thin
X-ray beam and detector around it. Provides good detail of bony
structures, especially cortical bone, and is particularly useful for complex
fractures and dislocations as well as for osteochondral lesions, stress
fractures, loose bodies and certain spinal pathologies
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A cross-sectional image is formed by placing the body in a
powerful magnetic field and using radiofrequency pulses to
excite hydrogen nuclei within tissue cells.
T1-weighted images show good anatomical detail with
fluid being dark and fat being bright.
Plain radiography (X-rays)
An image formed by exposure to short wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation (X-rays) that pass through the body and hit a photographic
receptor (radiographic plate or film) placed behind the patient’s body.
Useful for detecting fractures, dislocations and many bony abnormalities
including degenerative joint disease
These block the X-rays and help visualize the structure:
Angiography (blood vessels
Arthrography (joints)
Discography (intervertebral disc space)
Myelography (thecal sac)
cord and cauda equina.
Tenography (tendon sheath)
Computed tomography (CT)
Involves scanning part of the body from several angles by rotating a thin
X-ray beam and detector around it. Provides good detail of bony
structures, especially cortical bone, and is particularly useful for complex
fractures and dislocations as well as for osteochondral lesions, stress
fractures, loose bodies and certain spinal pathologies
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A cross-sectional image is formed by placing the body in a
powerful magnetic field and using radiofrequency pulses to
excite hydrogen nuclei within tissue cells.
T1-weighted images show good anatomical detail with
fluid being dark and fat being bright.
