e. Performing Special Exams
(1) Soft tissue radiography. These are required to image small differences
in soft tissue. Examples of exams requiring this technique are mammograms to study
the tissue within the breast, exams of the extremities to find foreign objects that may
have entered the body through trauma or swallowing. An example of the latter would be
a large splinter of wood.
(2) Bone surveys. Bone surveys are performed to evaluate the spread of
cancerous tumors or arthritic changes in joints such as the hands, knees, ankles, feet,
etc. Bone surveys are used to evaluate possible delayed or premature bone
development in children and to assess suspected child abuse by taking selected
radiographs of the extremities of the body. Typically, a 91P10 operates x-ray-producing
equipment that may be permanently installed in a hospital radiology department and/or
mobile equipment designed for bedside radiography. The 91P10 may also operate
mobile x-ray equipment especially suited for deployment to the war theatre.
f. Assisting with Body Section Radiography. Radiography of a layer or
section of the body is known by a number of names, e.g., tomography, stratigraphy, or
laminography But, this procedure is most commonly referred to as tomography, The
entry-level radiographer is required to assist the more senior radiographer, usually an
NCO, in performing these exams. Tomography requires the movement of the x-ray
tube and film in conjunction with each other. The radiographer sets a fulcrum point,
which is the desired focal plane that the radiologist requests to be demonstrated.
Another type of tomography that has rapidly spread throughout the medical field is
Computerized Axial Tomography. This type of tomography requires the use of a
computer to generate body sections and has, for the most part, replaced traditional
tomography, except in those cases where high contrast in tissues is required.
g. Assisting with Routine Fluoroscopy Procedures. For lower
gastrointestinal (GI) tract exams, you will perform a variety of tasks. You may have to
prepare the patient for a barium enema, assist the radiologist in performing the
fluoroscopic procedure, and/or perform follow-up films to assist the radiologist in his
radiographic evaluation of the patient.
h. Assisting with Foreign Body Localization. As an entry-level radiographer,
you would assist in this procedure if, for example, a hemostat had been left inside the
patient during surgery or a child had swallowed a marble. In such cases, the physician
would require two views of the foreign body to determine how far it lay in either direction
to pinpoint its exact location.
MD0067
4-20