The pictures taken of the inside of your body by an x-ray technician help doctors pinpoint injuries and illnesses. A break in a bone can be seen. A shadow in the chest are may indicate pneumonia or even cancer. A blocked artery can be diagnosed and treated before it ever leads to heart failure. Compensation filters help techs get the clearest picture of the affected area.

The x-ray process seems fairly straightforward - push a button, take a picture, view results - but there is so much that goes into it behind the scenes. Film and development, special lighting in the dark room and handling of the films using cassettes, cleaning the equipment to keep it in tip-top condition - all of this takes place without the patient knowing much about it.

One of the key areas that patients don't think much about is protection. Upon situating for an x-ray, a patient's sex organs are covered with a lead-lined blanket. This is to protect them from sterility and other sexual and reproductive complications. Technicians avoid taking x-rays of pregnant women whenever possible.

There's more to radiology than just x-rays, though. Any mother can tell you the joy she felt when she was given her first ultrasound to hear her baby's heart. She'll probably also be able to tell you just how cold the wand was! That problem can be eliminated by using a warmer for your gel bottles. And sanitizing cleansing solution to clean the wand will remove the risk of spreading germs from patient to patient. It is these radiology supplies that make diagnostic imaging successful.



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