thoracic imaging refers to the radiographic assessment of the chest and thoracic region
we created this video to cover the medical definition and provide a
brief overview of the stopper so if you're ready let's get it
as previously mentioned thoracic imaging is the radiographic process of creating a visual
representation of the thorax for medical intervention the primary types include a
chest radiograph computed tomography ventilation perfusion scan and positron emission tomography
each type of thoracic imaging helps the medical professional learn more
about the state of the patient's condition so now let's talk briefly about each type
first we have the chest radiographs or just simply known as a chest x-ray
it's a radiographic imaging technique used for the assessment of the heart lungs and structures
within the thoracic cavity it occurs as an x-ray passes through the chest to a film which provides
a visual representation of the structures within this cavity the appearance of the x-ray depends
on the densities of the structures within the chest this includes air fat soft tissue bone
and fluid lungs that are filled with air have a black appearance on the chest x-ray
which is known as being radiolucent with that said bones and fluid typically absorb more of the x-ray
beams during the process and display more white on the chest x-ray which is known as being radio fake
next we have computed tomography also known as a ct scan it's a radiographic imaging technique
that generates cross-sectional images of an organ or a tissue structure it's performed in radiology
by medical professionals in order to obtain detailed images of the body that can be used for
diagnostic purposes simply put is a quick painless and non-invasive method to generate
cross-sectional images that can be analyzed by physicians to get an idea of what's going
on with the patient next up is the ventilation perfusion skin or vq scan for short it's an
imaging test that uses a radiographic substance to assess the ventilation and perfusion of the lungs
by measuring the flow of air and blood within the lungs it allows for the diagnosis of various
diseases however a vq scan is typically indicated to help diagnose or rule out a pulmonary embolism
it can also help physicians examine the lungs of preoperative patients and finally we have
positron emission tomography or pet scan for short it's an imaging technique that
also uses radioactive substances to examine the metabolic activity of various parts of the body
radio tracers are injected or ingested into the body and help reduce gamma rays these
rays help provide a three-dimensional visual of the target area in respiratory care a pet
scan is typically recommended for the diagnosis or evaluation of lung cancer
but again for this video we just wanted to provide you with a brief overview of this topic
we've talked more about each type of thoracic imaging in separate videos here on our channel
but just a quick reminder we are not doctors this video is for informational purposes only
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you