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In medicine, skull radiography is understood as a diagnostic radiation method that helps to examine the skeletal system of the brain, the base of the skull, the vault of the skull, and the facial skeleton.
With the help of an x-ray of the skull, it is easier for doctors to make an accurate diagnosis, prescribe effective therapy and track the dynamics of changes in the patient’s condition during treatment.
An x-ray of the skull is performed for a sitting or lying person, whose head is rigidly fixed, in various projections necessary for a specialist – left, right lateral, axial, posteroanterior and others.
An X-ray of the skull bones is often the most optimal a diagnostic procedure that can fully demonstrate to a specialist all the pathological processes in a patient in a selected area of the body.
Features and types of diagnostics
Since the human brain is the most important center of the human body, nature provided for its reliable protection by placing it in the cranium.
In the event of various pathologies and injuries, the functions of bone tissue can be brokenand the brain becomes very vulnerable. To avoid such a situation, all changes skulls need to be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. And for high-quality diagnostics, specialists have long used radiography of the bones of the skull, which consists in the ability of x-ray rays to penetrate tissues with varying degrees.
These rays, pronone through a human organ or tissue, a special image is formed at the output, which is transferred to a film or monitor, and shows all dense tissues, for example, bones, in white, and all soft tissues in black.
The study can be general, when the doctor wants to get acquainted with the general picture of the skull, or targeted, when X-rays of individual craniocerebral zones are performed – X-rays of the lower jaw, Turkish saddle, eye sockets, temporomandibular joints, nasal bones and zygomatic, mastoid processes.
X-ray of the skull bones is a simple and inexpensive method of diagnosis, alternatives by accessibility which is practically non-existent in modern medicine. In this area, innovations periodically appear only in the form of a cardinal improvement in X-ray machines.
The latest generation of x-ray equipment is digital, the share of radiation exposure in it is several times less than in a traditional x-ray machine, and the information content of the images is much higher.
X-ray indications and indicatorsgraphics skull bones
X-ray the skull is carried out not to study the state of the brain, but for the purpose of examining the cranium. In order to make a diagnosis of brain diseases, specialists do not use X-rays, but use magnetic resonance imaging.
Indications for the appointment of radiography can serve as complaints of the patient, and clinical Manifestationsthat a doctor can observe in a patient:
- headache;
- darkening in the eyes;
- dizziness, fainting;
- nasal bleeding;
- hearing and vision impairment;
- head trauma;
- suspicion of oncology and endocrine diseases.
X-rays should not be performed on pregnant women and nursing mothers. The appointment of this type of diagnosis is carried out by a neurologist, traumatologist, oncologist, ophthalmologist, surgeon, endocrinologist. At the same time, a qualified specialist will help to detect diseases such as:
- all kinds of cysts;
- osteoporosis, osteosclerosis;
- congenital anomalies in the development of the cranium;
- hernia of the brain;
- tumors of the pituitary gland, soft membranes of the brain (meningioma), decalcified tumors (oligodendroma), tumor of bone tissue (osteoma);
- hypotension and intracranial hypertension;
- hematomas, fractures;
- consequences of various inflammations in the brain (calcification);
- osteomyelitis;
- adnexal anomalies in the nasal sinuses.
Technique for fluoroscopy
Patients do not need to make any special preparations for the X-ray examination. Before starting the procedure, a person must remove all metal objects from himself, including even removable dentures, if any. Next, the patient is placed on a table or seated in a special chair, sometimes a standing position is possible.
A special protective apron is applied to the entire body of the patient, which protects the entire torso from radiated radiation.
The patient’s head is fixed with special fasteners or bandages so that it remains completely immobile during the entire diagnostic process. Sometimes the role of fixators can be performed by ordinary sandbags inside.
The procedure is carried out very quickly, in a couple of minutes the specialist will have time to get all the pictures he needs in various planes in order to evaluate all the parts of the skull that are of interest to him in volume. X-ray of bones the skull absolutely painless.
How much x-ray the images will be informative and clear, depends, in many respects, on the apparatus itself, with the help of which a particular study is carried out.
With digital radiography, the images are given to the patient immediately in digital form. It can take up to half an hour for a doctor to decipher the resulting images, although it can sometimes take several days in public hospitals.
With an analog X-ray machine, the images will need to be developed, which also takes additional time. The clarity of such images is lower than with digital technology, therefore, the diagnosis may not be as accurate. But this is not a complete list of the advantages of digital technology for radiography. Digital devices use only 5% of the radiation that is used in analog machines, which, of course, is much safer for the patient. However, in this technique it is possible to adjust the radiation dose, which becomes a tragedy if an inexperienced or low-skilled specialist conducts an x-ray. In this context, analog technology is more harmless. When deciphering the conclusion of the radiograph, experts compare the presence and absence of blackouts in different areas of the skull, which indicates one or another pathology and its source.
Danger of x-ray examination
The exposure that a person receives in the process of undergoing radiography is quite low and equals, on average, 0,12 millisieverts. This level is only 4% of the exposure that an ordinary person receives annually in the natural environment from conventional radiation.active sources. It can be compared to just an hour of summer sun, under which the patient lies on the beach. But doctors do not recommend having x-rays more often than once every 6 months.
X-ray examination should be performed only for medical reasons. In this case, it is able to identify deadly diseases in order to diagnose them in time and have time to start treatment.
At the same time, if an x-ray is needed more often than the recommended norm, the doctor will definitely conduct it. Since in such a situation the effect of the procedure can significantly exceed its harm. In the absence of an alternative, terrible injuries of the cranium, for example, an X-ray examination is prescribed even for pregnant women. In its course, the stomach is very carefully shielded so that the child does not accidentally get dangerous unnecessary radiation.
Features of pediatric radiography
The indications for an x-ray of the skull bones in children are all the same symptoms, but the pediatrician always tries to resort to an x-ray examination only as a last resort. This is due to the fact that due to the smaller weight and size of the body, children receive an increased dose of radiation, which can adversely affect the subsequent growth process.
A good doctor prescribes an x-ray to a child only if nothing else can help, ultrasound does not bring results, and the disease can be life-threatening.
However, alternatives to x-rays to diagnose changes there are practically no skull bones in modern medicine, since the cranium has a very complex structure, which ultrasound cannot recognize.
The magnetic resonance method of research does not allow to determine the pathology of bone tissue, it is intended for soft tissues or organs. Therefore, with head injuries, even infants are x-rayed. This method is able to demonstrate birth injuries to doctors in time, which, if not diagnosed in a timely manner, can have a very negative impact on the subsequent development of the brain.
When performing x-rays, the body of a small patient is protected with care, and for ensuring his immobility at an early age, sleeping pills or sedatives are prescribed, and at an older age they securely fix the body, while explaining the importance lack of movement during the study for diagnostic accuracy procedure, and guaranteeing its painlessness.