November 8th marks World Radiography Day, commemorating Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen’s discovery of x-rays in 1895. This breakthrough revolutionized medicine and is considered one of the most significant advances in medicine. For this discovery, Röntgen won the first Nobel prize for physics in 1901.
At the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, we celebrate this day by recognizing the vital contributions of our veterinary radiologists whose expertise allows us to diagnose and treat patients every day. In their honor, this post explores how X-rays help us see inside our animal patients.
X-rays Show Metal and Minerals
One of the best uses of x-rays is to diagnose a broken bone. Bone contains a lot of the mineral calcium, which readily shows up on x-rays. Similarly, rocks—composed of dense minerals—are easy to identify on x-ray, as you can see in the x-ray of an overly-curious dog’s stomach below.
Veterinarians also use x-rays to diagnose bladder stones, which are simply internal rocks.
Objects made of metal, such as coins—or even an Apple AirTag—are also easily seen on x-rays. However, plastic, fabric and wooden objects don’t show up on x-rays. When these items get stuck inside pets, they are very hard to identify.
Why Multiple Views Are Necessary
An x-ray is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional pet. To locate a structure or abnormality accurately you need more than one x-ray of the patient
For example, look at the x-rays of a dog who ate rocks. No question there are 4 rocks, and they look close together in the x-ray taken from side to side. But in the second x-ray, taken from top to bottom, you see three rocks together in the stomach and one in the intestine. Without both views, the surgeon would be looking in the wrong spot to find and remove the rocks.
In oncology (my specialty), we take three views of a chest when looking for cancer spread: top to bottom, left to right and right to left. This form of triangulation decreases the chance we will miss a tumor that has recurred.
Protecting People from X-rays
While the clinical uses of x-rays were identified early, the adverse effects of x-ray radiation on humans wasn’t recognized until decades later. Today, we know x-rays can be harmful. This is why you wear a lead apron at the dentist’s office and why our radiology staff wear lead lined gloves, aprons and neck protectors.
Our radiology staff also works hard to ensure only the pet is in the room when the x-ray is taken. This is just one reason your AMC veterinarian recommends medications like gabapentin and trazodone to help calm your pet during veterinary visits. When these medications are not enough to allow x-rays to be taken, we may use stronger sedatives.
Honoring Veterinary Radiologists
Happy Radiography Day to all the radiologists out there whose expertise makes modern veterinary medicine possible. We couldn’t do our jobs without you.
Tags:
diagnostic imaging, foreign bodies, radiologists, radiology, x-rays,
