Negatoscope

Negatoscope is a medical device, the purpose of which is to view radiographic images. The main purpose of this device is, firstly, to make it easier for the doctor to study radiographs, and secondly, to improve the quality and accuracy of image evaluation. This is of great importance for solving the main medical issues: making a correct diagnosis and prescribing the most effective treatment.

Radiography, which is considered by many to be the “grandfather” method, still remains in demand in modern diagnostic medicine. Of course, progress does not stand still, and complex high-precision computer systems have already appeared that perform the same functions, but their cost, unfortunately, literally “rolls over”. And the X-ray machine remains mandatory and truly indispensable equipment always and everywhere: from provincial trauma centers to giant metropolitan medical centers.

Why do you need a negatoscope

As noted above, a negatoscope is necessary for reading x-rays. To understand how this device can facilitate the process of deciphering them, you should first briefly mention what constitutes an image obtained using an X-ray machine.

During the study, the doctor shines through the part of the body that interests him, with x-rays, using the appropriate apparatus. All organs, tissues and structures of the human body differ in different physical density and composition, as a result of which they have different absorption or conductivity of X-rays. On the finished x-ray, these differences look like an incredible number of shades of gray, each of which has its own light density.

It is in order for the doctor to be able to interpret the entire widest gray scale on an x-ray as accurately as possible, a negatoscope is used. Modern X-ray machines of improved design make it possible to obtain images of very high quality and an extraordinary level of detail, and therefore the use of so-called “grandfather” methods for viewing them – for example, transillumination on a window or using a table lamp – is impractical. The thing is that this approach increases the likelihood that the doctor will miss some very small, but critical elements of the image. As a result, the interpretation will be incorrect, the diagnosis will be erroneous, and the choice of strategy and tactics of treatment will be incorrect. All this can have extremely negative results for the patient. Moreover, transillumination of images “in the old fashioned way” is inconvenient for the doctor himself.

Modern negatoscopes are devices that will help the doctor to consider all the necessary details, as a result of which a qualified and very accurate interpretation of the image becomes possible.

In addition, the negatoscope can also be used to interpret images obtained during magnetic resonance therapy (MRI), since they are also based on the visualization of the internal organs of the patient using a huge number of shades of gray.

Scopes of a negatoscope

In modern medical practice, the negatoscope is used in various fields:

1. First of all, it is traumatology – the device makes it possible to detect any traumatic changes, primarily dislocations and fractures. In addition, it can be used to detect a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs and identify areas with a low content of calcium salts – in other words, those affected by osteoporosis. In addition, using a negatoscope, it is possible to identify cavities in osteomyelitis and areas affected by metastases in oncological diseases.
2. In dentistry, using the device, you can diagnose diseases of the teeth and bones of the maxillofacial segment, as well as determine the condition of the root canals of the teeth, which will prevent further complications during their treatment and filling and avoid the appearance of granulomas and cystic formations. It can also be used to identify areas of dentin destruction and features of the location of the tooth in the surrounding tissues.
3. In oncology, the device can be used to diagnose benign and malignant tumor formations and to detect metastases.
4. In neurology and neurosurgery, using the device, the doctor can detect hematomas formed as a result of a stroke or injury in the medulla or under the meninges.
5. In the field of gynecology, using a negatoscope, a doctor can examine the patency of the fallopian tubes in order to establish possible causes of difficulties in conceiving a child.
6. In endocrinology and therapy, the negatoscope makes it possible to identify inflammatory processes in internal organs, to detect changes in their dimensions and normal correlation with other body structures.
7. In mammography, the negatoscope will help in deciphering the data of X-ray studies of the mammary glands, and in radiology and radiosurgery, in the analysis of data obtained during radiography, ultrasound diagnostics, magnetic resonance imaging, radiography and fluorography.

Device negatoscope

The modern LED negatoscope is quite easy to use, reliable and convenient. Externally, the medical device is a parallelepiped, one of the frontal faces of which is a luminous screen made of frosted acrylic glass or plexiglass. Pictures are fixed on the screen with special clips.

The body of the device is made, as a rule, from a metal profile and coated with powder paint. As a result, the device acquires an aesthetic appearance, and its service life is extended.

The system for fixing x-ray images is special rollers with which the image can be attached to the screen of the negatoscope. It is noteworthy that this device is ergonomic, because it allows you to attach a picture with one hand without much effort.

A viewing glass, also known as a viewing screen, is a special frosted white glass, either organic or acrylic. It is coated with an LGP matrix (Light Guide Panel), which looks like a honeycomb. As a rule, three-dimensional laser engraving is used to apply a pattern to acrylic. The purpose of this technology is to ensure the dispersion of the light flux, due to which the most uniform illumination of the image will occur over its entire area. As a result, the details will be displayed very clearly and efficiently, and the physician will be able to interpret the received data correctly. According to statistics, the use of a matrix increases the accuracy of diagnostics by at least a third. In addition, the LGP-matrix makes the perception of information more comfortable for the doctor.

It is noteworthy that in the event that the panel is made with violations of a technical nature, the light will be dim, the backlight will be distributed unevenly, and stripes will be visible in the displayed image.

A special diffuser is a technical device that, by reflecting the scattered rays, makes it possible to achieve an even more uniform distribution of light on the viewing screen. Negatoscopes equipped with a diffuser provide the most accurate interpretation of the results of the study. According to the protocols that exist in the countries of the European Union, the use of negatoscopes that are not equipped with such a brightness control is prohibited.

The “heart” of the device is its electronic “stuffing”. First of all, these are LEDs – those light sources, without which the device will simply not be able to work. Previously, the device used fluorescent or fluorescent lamps, but LEDs have replaced them in new generation devices. Compared with their predecessors, they have a number of advantages. First of all, it is a longer service life, and, as a result, the economy of use. Another indisputable advantage of LEDs is the ability to precisely adjust their brightness so that the backlight is as comfortable as possible for the doctor. The device has a special module for adjusting the backlight of the entire device, as well as each field of the negatoscope separately. The ability to adjust the backlight at your own discretion reduces the load on the eyesight of a medical worker, as a result of which working with a negatoscope becomes much less tiring for him.

Some models of negatoscopes also have a special control option – the possibility of frame-by-frame switching. Such models are equipped with special shutters, as a result of which it becomes possible to close one of the sections of the image and fully concentrate on other parts of the image. As a result, the diagnosis becomes more accurate.

There are fasteners on the back of the device, with which you can fix it on a wall, on a table or on another device. Also, some negatoscopes have wheels – such devices are mobile. In addition, the set of the negatoscope contains elements of the power system – a power cord and a power supply.

Criteria for choosing a negatoscope

When choosing a negatoscope model for a medical institution, one should first of all take into account the tasks that this institution faces, as well as its profile.

So, clinics usually use single-frame negatoscopes, which are the most affordable and are designed to study one image. For medical institutions of a profile type, multi-frame (two-, three- and four-frame) devices are more suitable, which allow you to follow the course of the disease “in dynamics”.

In addition, other characteristics of the device should be taken into account.

So, the brightness of the glow is important. The higher it is, the more information the radiologist can get. At the same time, you should consider whether the device has the ability to adjust the brightness of the backlight. This function gives the doctor the opportunity to independently choose the brightness he needs at any given time, depending on the nature of the x-ray image that he is currently studying.

Another important criterion is the diaphragming of the luminous surface, which is made possible by the use of four moving shutters. In combination with the most precise brightness control, iris makes it possible to significantly improve the recognition of details compared to instruments that do not have shutters.

Equally important is the uniformity of the glow. In the event that the illumination is not uniform, but is distributed in stripes or spots, the radiologist perceives the image worse, and the load on vision increases.

The color temperature of the glow is another parameter that you should pay attention to. In order for all gray gradations in the x-ray to be perceived as objectively and clearly as possible, the color of the glow must be white, with a shift to the blue region of the spectrum.

Finally, it is worth considering the possibility of using the device in mammography. This is a special type of x-ray examination that requires special equipment. Mammography images differ from conventional radiographs in higher contrast and high density. Therefore, special requirements are put forward for negatoscopes that will be used to decipher these images. They must necessarily be equipped with curtains, it must be possible to adjust the brightness of the backlight, the color temperature must be 6500 K, and the brightness of the glow must not be less than 7000 cd / m2. Finally, the size of the viewing field of such a device should be optimal for viewing mammographic images, the format of which is usually 18 by 24 or 24 by 30 centimeters.