Inflammation of the lungs is an extremely dangerous disease for the life and he alth of the patient. What to choose for its quick diagnosis, fluorography or x-ray? A qualified doctor will not even think about this question, since the answer is obvious to him. But it is difficult for a person far from the field of medicine to understand the significant difference between these two relatively similar methods. Does fluorography show pneumonia? We will devote part of the material to this issue. We will also analyze effective ways to diagnose the disease.
What is fluorography?
First of all, you need to understand the features of this diagnostic method in order to understand whether fluorography will detect pneumonia.
Fluorography is already a traditional way of screening the he alth of citizens. And we immediately note that this is a preventive method. That is, it is not assigned to make a specific diagnosis, but provides general information within the same annual medicalexamination (medical examination).
Will fluorography show pneumonia in the early stages? The answer will be positive. The main objective of this method is precisely to detect tuberculosis, cancer and pneumonia at an early stage.
First devices
Does fluorography show pneumonia and bronchitis? This question has been of interest to patients for a long time, namely since the introduction of the first fluoroscopes. The devices were designed to visualize lung edges on a special luminous monitor.
Even this technique, completely outdated in modern realities, helped to identify alarming infiltrative foci in the lungs. Further, to determine the cause of their occurrence, the doctors used X-rays in the lateral, direct and additional projections.
The very first devices also had a significant disadvantage: they were not at all harmless. Recall that the preventive safe dose of radiation exposure is 1 mSv per calendar year. And when undergoing fluorography, a person already received 0.5 mSv of radiation.
Did fluorography show pneumonia? The classical way could determine the disease, but the examination was not entirely harmless to the patient. Therefore, over time, for the early diagnosis of diseases dangerous to the lungs, medicine gradually switched to a digital technique.
Advantages of digital fluorography
If we turn to the present, most medical clinics are equipped with digital fluorographic devices. Their first advantage is the reductionpatient radiation dose. The second is getting better shots.
How was the image combined with the classical method of fluorographic examination? X-ray ionizing rays passed through the human body, reflected on the film. If the specialist incorrectly chose the exposure mode, screening grid, then the result was a poor-quality picture. But for the patient, he "cost", as you remember, half the allowable dose of radiation exposure.
With the digital method, you can get high-quality images, observing the very minimum conditions. Does fluorography show pneumonia when used? Yes, it allows you to determine the development of the disease at an early stage.
Advantages of x-rays
We have already said that fluorography (both classical and digital) is primarily a preventive measure. A patient comes to the therapist with symptoms of pneumonia. X-ray or fluorography is prescribed in this case? The most suitable study for detecting an infiltration focus in the lungs is an x-ray taken in two projections.
Even a classic radiograph, unlike fluorography, shows a clear clinical picture. For example, it allows you to render shadows up to 5 mm in diameter. Namely, they distinguish the development of such dangerous pathologies as pneumonia, sarcoma, tuberculosis.
Why are x-rays of the chest organs taken in two projections? This allows the most complete study of the structure of the damaged tissue,which is decisive in making the correct diagnosis. For example, direct projection cannot show calcification of ribs, but lateral projection visualizes them very well.
So does fluorography show pneumonia? Yes, but only the "picture" is not as clear, it does not allow you to judge the nature of the lesion (shadows, blackouts) as well as with an X-ray examination. A fluorogram is sufficient to notice destructive changes in the lungs, but not enough to make an accurate diagnosis, on which the success of the treatment will depend.
When is an x-ray scheduled?
Chest x-ray examination is prescribed in two cases:
- If a preventive examination (fluorography) as part of a medical examination revealed a suspicion of lung cancer, pneumonia or tuberculosis. An x-ray is needed here to confirm or refute the diagnosis.
- If the patient went to the therapist with complaints that are signs of serious lung disease. He is scheduled for a chest x-ray immediately. Fluorography is not able to show clear boundaries of the infiltrative spot in case of focal inflammation of the organ, miliary tuberculosis, etc.
Thus, a study using fluorography for pneumonia is not carried out due to the uselessness of the technique, which is necessary only for the early diagnosis of pathologies.
Methods of digital X-ray diagnostics
We figured out if fluorography can show inflammationlungs. It is also important to distinguish its digital technique from digital x-ray diagnostics. Both of these methods are state of the art, but there are key differences between them.
Digital x-ray examination differs from the classical one in that the image is not recorded on film, but is fixed on a special transducer-sensor. The received frames are easily read by electronic devices and a wide range of software applications.
Today, the following types of modern (digital) X-ray diagnostics are distinguished:
- Fluorescent radiography.
- Selenium.
- X-ray through image intensifier tube.
The advantages of the new technique are not only in the simplification of recording images on a storage medium. The main advantage is the reduction of the radiation dose of the examined person. Hence the second name of the modern digital technique is low-dose X-ray diagnostics of the lungs.
Comparison of fluorography and radiography
Will fluorography show pneumonia (pneumonia)? Yes, most often under two conditions:
- The size of infiltrative lesions is more than 5 mm.
- Lesions are located in clear areas of lung fields.
However, it is not uncommon for fluorography to show a false suspicion of pathology. It was refuted by the subsequent x-ray examination, which is more accurate, of better quality. It will be decisive in the diagnosis.
Inferior to fluorography and clarityresulting image - its resolution will be very low. Even when using modern digital technology. From here, the infiltrative spot is additionally examined on x-rays.
Surely the reader had a question: "If radiography is a more accurate and high-quality examination that immediately allows you to make a diagnosis, why won't they replace fluorography at medical examinations?" This will help save both time and money for surveys.
It's about the patient's radiation dose. This indicator even of innovative digital radiography will significantly exceed the corresponding indicator of fluorography. Therefore, the undoubted advantage of the latter lies in greater security (especially for digital methods).
When a patient presents with symptoms of lung cancer, pneumonia, he will be prescribed an x-ray - the main basic diagnostic method for these pathologies. Then they resort to it to monitor the state of he alth, the success of the chosen therapy.
What signs of pathology can be seen in the picture?
Will fluorography show pneumonia in the picture? This is interesting to know for many examined patients. However, only a qualified specialist with proper training and experience can correctly interpret the image.
But the x-ray shows the following signs of disease:
- Single focal blackout. It just allows you to judge the development of pneumonia.
- Tuberculomas. Tuberculous limited lung cavities.
- Bronchial cysts. Expansion of the cavities of the walls of the bronchi.
- Hamartoma. A type of benign tumor that affects cartilage.
- Cancer metastases in the lungs.
Note that the specialist will notice focal single darkening both on the fluorogram and on the radiograph.
However, the detected spots cannot absolutely indicate the development of such serious pathologies as lung cancer or pneumonia. The patient needs to undergo a series of additional examinations. Important among them are laboratory tests.
Also, the specialist always does not forget to check the detected focal spot for its good quality. This is what makes it possible to detect cancerous tumors in the early stages.
How does a specialist determine pneumonia in a picture?
To determine the characteristic signs of pneumonia on an x-ray image, the doctor uses many techniques. The following deviations captured on the frames will be the main ones here:
- Single spots - focal pneumonia, multiple spots - extensive pneumonia.
- Segmental seals - one-sided, two-sided.
- Character of brightening and darkening in pictures.
- Changes seen in the roots of the lungs.
What can't an x-ray in the lungs "see"?
Will fluorography and X-ray show pneumonia in the pictures? As we have already noted, fluorography can "miss" small infiltrative spots in the lung tissues, whosesize less than 5 mm. They are poorly traced on the radiograph. Only when these foci merge with each other, forming larger units, the image can be used to judge the specific signs of pneumonia (focal or segmental).
Thus, neither x-ray nor fluorography will be the only accurate diagnostic methods. The minimum that modern equipment can detect is focal pneumonia.
X-ray examination today cannot yet detect the following types of pneumonia:
- Small focal pneumonia.
- Small infiltrates that are located deep in the lung tissue.
- Strong airiness of organ tissue.
Main radiological signs of pneumonia
In conclusion, we will tell you by what main signs on an X-ray image it is possible to judge inflammation of the lung tissue. This is:
- Medium-intensity foci-infiltrates.
- Fuzzy contours of infiltrative spots.
- Strengthening the pattern of the lungs (may reach the borders of the lung field).
- Compacted, expanded root organs.
So, fluorography helps to detect pneumonia, tuberculosis and lung cancer in the early stages. Therefore, it is common for preventive medical examinations. An accurate diagnosis is made on the basis of an x-ray. However, sometimes it is not enough, so laboratory diagnostics are required to determine some forms of the disease.
