Why radiography is important

The Radiographer will know where all the equipment the Radiologist might need is and how to open them so they stay clean. Often the Radiographer is the only member of the team that is not scrubbed in sterile gloves and gowns so monitoring the patient, getting equipment and documenting important information also becomes part of their responsibility. Considering Diagnostic Radiography as a career? The patient returned 2 years later, again complaining of hemoptysis.

Another chest radiograph was obtained, and findings were again reported as normal by the radiologist Fig. Approximately 1 year later, the patient was seen by another physician and referred to a different facility for chest radiography. On that examination, a radiologist reported a mass in the left mid lung field Fig. A biopsy disclosed squamous cell carcinoma.

The patient died approximately 1 year later. Case 2. After physical examination, the man underwent cross-table lateral cervical spine radiography Fig. The patient was admitted to the hospital for observation.

The next day, his attending physician noted that the patient complained of neck pain and spasms, although no apparent motor weakness was found. The next day, more than 36 hours after the first radiologic examination, the attending physician ordered a full cervical spine series.

The radiologist failed to note that the spine was not visualized below the body of C6 on the lateral radiographic view Fig. The patient was discharged with a clinical diagnosis of cervical sprain.

Several days later, because of increasing pain and progressive neurologic symptoms, the patient was admitted to another hospital, where radiologic examination disclosed a C6-C7 subluxation with fractures of both vertebrae. A cervical fusion was performed, but the patient became permanently quadriplegic. Malpractice Issues Case 1.

A malpractice lawsuit was filed against the radiologist, claiming that missing the cancer on radiographs deprived the patient of a chance for cure. The expert radiologists testified that the lesion would have been easy to see had a bright light been used, but the defendant radiologist testified that he had interpreted the radiograph on a standard-illumination viewbox.

A malpractice lawsuit was filed against the radiologist and the hospital, alleging that failure to promptly establish the correct diagnosis of a cervical spine fracture-dislocation caused spinal cord damage and delayed corrective surgery that would have prevented quadriplegia. During pretrial discovery proceedings, expert witnesses for both the plaintiff and the defendants testified that the cervical spine radiographs fell below acceptable standards in that the C6-T1 area was not properly visualized and that the defendant radiologist was negligent in interpreting the findings as essentially normal without mentioning the lack of full visualization in his reports.

Discussion The common thread linking both cases is the substandard quality of the radiologic examinations. In the first case, the radiographs were overexposed; in the second case, the patient was not positioned properly for visualizing the C6-T1 vertebrae. Although technologists may physically perform the examinations, the radiologist who interprets the radiographs is responsible for determining whether the examination is adequate, and the radiologist bears the ultimate legal liability for an inadequate radiograph that fails to show an abnormality.

X-rays use radiation to look through the body and see foreign objects and bones. This allows physicians to better diagnose anything wrong with the bone structure, which leads to the proper course of treatment. These different technologies allow for real-time imaging of the digestive system, looking at blood vessels, providing 2D and 3D maps of the tissue within the body and providing cross-section views of the body. Without these technologies, it would be very difficult for physicians to diagnose many of the common diseases today.

They need accurate tests to be able to diagnose the issue and provide the proper treatment. Radiographers not only provide those tests, but they also provide an emotional and physical support while preparing patients for these tests. One of the things a radiographer does is explain the procedure to the patient and answer their questions. They also know how to be sensitive to the pain of the patient as they place them in the right position for the test.