When you need a handheld photo
Many organizations, military registration and enlistment offices and medical commissions still require not only the conclusion, but also the photograph itself. The film version solves this problem: the patient receives an image that can be attached to documents or shown to another doctor. An image on the hands is also useful clinically - when contacting a pulmonologist or TB specialist, the ability to compare the current image with the previous one is often decisive: changes that have been stable for several years are interpreted differently than those that appeared for the first time. Therefore, previous photos should be saved.
What does an x-ray show?
An X-ray image perfectly visualizes bone tissue and air environments: fractures and cracks, displacements, changes in joint spaces, bone growths, as well as lung tissue and its changes.
Soft tissues - ligaments, menisci, discs, cartilage - are practically invisible in the image. If the doctor suspects damage, an MRI or ultrasound is prescribed after the X-ray.
One projection or two
One projection gives a flat image, and pathology located at an unfortunate angle may go unnoticed. The second photograph, taken perpendicular to the first, eliminates this situation. In trauma, two views are the standard; shooting in one is used as screening or when the patient’s position is limited.
About radiation exposure
The dose for digital radiography is significantly lower than film and for most studies is comparable to several days of natural background radiation. However, the study is performed as prescribed by a doctor, and during pregnancy - only for health reasons with screening.