The Advantages of X-Rays

X-rays are an important tool in the medical field. The X-ray is a noninvasive medical test that uses a small dose of ionizing radiation that is absorbed by the structures within the body and then produces an image or picture of the inside of the body. It can be used to see inside a person's body to help determine a medical diagnosis. Before the use of X-rays, a physician would have had to do exploratory surgery to determine what kind of injury a person had. Today, doctors can make a diagnosis at the push of a button. The advantages of using X-rays in the medical field far outweigh the risks associated with the use of X-rays.

Convenient and Inexpensive

• X-rays are widely available and are found in a number of settings--such as hospitals, nursing homes, and medical facilities. There are portable X-ray devices, as well, which make X-rays even more readily available. X-rays produce results fast, so a diagnosis can be made rather quickly. In emergency situations, X-rays are usually one of the first medical tests ordered. They are also relatively inexpensive when compared with other medical imaging devices, so they are often the first imaging tool used in diagnosis of an injury.

Range of Uses

• X-rays can be used for a number of reasons. They are most often used to diagnosis broken bones, dislocated joints, and fractures. They can also be use to guide orthopedic surgery. X-rays can diagnosis conditions, such as arthritis and abnormal bone growths, and locate foreign objects in the body. They are used by dentists for producing images of the teeth and diagnosing periodontal disease.

Limited Radiation

• According to the Radiological Society of North America, the amount of radiation produced by an X-ray is very small. The unit of measurement for an effective radiation dose is the millisievert (mSv). The amount of radiation produced by an X-ray of an extremity is .001 mSv, which is equivalent to the amount of radiation the average person is exposed to in a day by background radiation. Also, no radiation remains in the body after the image is taken, unlike other imaging tests. With other imaging tests, radioactive dye is injected into the body and can remain in the body for a period of time. There are also no side effects of X-rays.