AJADI ADETOLA DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY

 The use of radiant energy called x-ray to obtain latent image of body parts on a photographic emulsion for the purpose of diagnosis

 A type of electromagnetic radiation produced by electron interactions outside the nucleus

 Have no charge  Have no mass  Travels at the speed of light  Travels in a straight line  Cannot be deflected by electric or magnetic field  Penetrate all matters to some degree  Cause certain substances to fluoresce  Can ionize atoms  Can expose photographic emulsion

 Lead casing  Vacuumized tube insert  Electrodes

 Two types of electrodes are present  Cathode is the negative electrode where electrons are emitted  Anode is the positive electrodes where the x- rays are produced  Both the anode and cathode are made of tungsten

 Milli amperage (mA): The energy that heats up the cathode filament to emit electrons. It determines the quantity of x-ray produced.  Kilo-voltage (Kv): The energy that drives the emitted electrons to the anode to strike the anode. It determines the quality of the x-ray

 Coherent scattering  Photoelectric effect  Compton scattering

 X-ray tube head  Inline-voltage  Rectification circuit  Step-up transformer  Control panel

 Portable  Mobile  Stationery or fixed

 A photographic film with a light sensitive emulsion containing silver halide  The silver halide crystals become sensitized when exposed to x-ray or light and is reduced by the developer to form neutral silver deposits which appear black  Un-exposed silver halide are removed by the fixer to leave a clear area on the film

 Number of x-ray striking the film (mA)  Energy of the x-ray beam (Kv)  Focal film distance

 Motion  Film speed  Focal spot size  Focal spot - film distance (FFD)  Object – film distance  Intensifying screen  Grids

 Development  Rinsing  Fixing  Washing  Drying

 Faulty x-ray tube head  Faulty or inadequate collimation  Scatter radiation  Presence of personnel body inside the primary beam  Use of fluoroscopy or long exposure time

 Only personnel involved in the procedure should be in the x-ray room at the time of exposure  Personnel younger than 18 years and pregnant women should not be allowed in the x-ray room.  Non- human form of restraints should be used to aid patient positioning  No part of the personnel body should be in the primary beam  Protective clothing should be worn when assisting with x-ray  Primary beam should be appropriately collimated to prevent personnel exposure

 X-ray machine should be periodically check for leaks in the tube head  The fastest film screen combination should be used to reduce exposure time  Use grid to prevent scatter radiation when exposing thicker part of the body  All personnel should wear radiation badges outside the lead apron  Each radiographic procedure should be planned careful to avoid unnecessary re-take.