> Fluoroscopy Basics

Fluoroscopy can best be regarded as a live-action type of diagnostic radiology. It permits the radiologist to visualize the organ system of the patient being studied, with the aid of a contrast agent. The contrast agent is necessary because the soft tissue requires enhancing, as it fails to show up under normal x-ray use. The contrast agent, or the contrast media, is administered to the patient in either an injection, an enema, or an ingestion.

• Basics of Fluoroscopy: A pithy walk-through of what is involved with fluoroscopy.
• Imaging: Article that talks about the imaging basics in fluoroscopy.
• Basics of Radiation Physics: An explanation of the basics of X-ray fluoroscopy.
• The Facts on Fluoroscopy: Information on the basics of fluoroscopy.
• Definition of Fluoroscopy: A most basic explanation of fluoroscopy.
• The Fundamentals of Fluoroscopy: Information on what the procedures are and what’s involved in fluoroscopy.

> History of Fluoroscopy

November 8, 1895 marked the beginning of the development of fluoroscopy when Wilhelm Rontgen, a German physicist, remarked a barium platinocyanide screen fluorescing in response to being exposed to x-rays. Only some months after this discovery, the very first fluoroscopes came to be created. The earliest forms of fluoroscopes were primitive: They were just cardboard funnels that had one opening for the observer’s eyes and another opening closed over with a small piece of cardboard. Fluoroscopy was revolutionized in the 1950s with the invention of the TV camera and the X-ray image intensifier. Today’s fluoroscopes create noise-limited images and utilize Csl screens.

• William Roentgen Biography: Biography of the physicist whose work led to the creation of fluoroscopes.
• Roentgen and Fluorescence: History of how William Roentgen noticed properties of a fluorescent screen, leading to X-rays.
• History of Wilhelm Roentgen: History of William Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays, which enabled fluoroscopy.
• Video Fluoroscopy’s History: History of video fluoroscopy which mentions of Thomas Edison’s involvement in developing the first fluoroscope.
• Thomas Edison Biography: Biography of Edison, who is praised for designing the first commercially purchasable fluoroscope.

> Equipment

Today, fluoroscopes rely on two main pieces of equipment to ensure that the imaging technique is done properly. These are X-ray image intensifiers and flat-panel detectors. While older image intensifiers employed a separate fluorescent screen, modern machines use a cesium iodide that is placed right on the intensifier tube of the photo-cathode. Flat-panel detectors can replace X-ray image intensifiers altogether since they allow for a higher amount of sensitivity to X-rays. Because flat-panel detectors are pricier than said intensifiers, they are only used for specialties that really need high-speed imaging, for example, cardiac catheterization.

> Common Fluoroscopy Procedures

Fluoroscopy is used in some procedures more than in others. A common procedure of fluoroscopy is the examination of the gastrointestinal tract, which is made possible by an agent that will be detected by the fluoroscope, for example, a barium enema. Another common procedure involving a fluoroscope is for use in urological surgery, especially in pyelography that is retrograde. Other common procedures include discography, implantation of pacemakers, installation of a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter), installation of a weighted feeding tube, angiography, and orthopedic surgery.

> Risks

Health risks are always present with fluoroscopy due to the use of ionizing radiation in the X-rays. Since some fluoroscopy procedures can take a long time, effects ranging from a mild sun burn to more serious burns have been documented in patients. While some long procedures can result in significant burning, the positive side to the procedures are that they had to be performed due to their life-saving qualities. To avoid such risks, X-ray image intensifiers feature radiation-reducing features.