X-ray of the lumbar spine is the simplest and most affordable solution that allows you to perform a high-quality diagnosis of injuries and diseases that develop in the presented area. In what cases is this technique used? What does preparation for an x-ray of the lumbosacral spine involve? How are research results interpreted? All this will be discussed in our publication.
When is X-ray prescribed?
The doctor may send the patient for an x-ray if the following pathologies are suspected:
- curvature of the spine;
- pain in the lumbar region;
- feeling of numbness or weakness in the spine;
- development of inflammatory processes;
- appearance of intervertebral hernia;
- abnormal changes in the formation of the spinal column.
It is worth noting that an X-ray of the lumbar spine makes it possible to identify degenerative processes in bone tissues, see damage, examine tumors, foci of inflammation and infections. However, this technique does not allow to study the structure of ligaments, muscles and spinal cord. For these purposes, other, more informative diagnostic solutions are used. At the same time, the price of an X-ray of the lumbar spine is low. Often, such diagnostics are performed free of charge if there is an appropriate referral from a doctor. Therefore, the technique is available to the bulk of the population.
How do I prepare for a lumbar spine x-ray?
Any medical procedure needs preliminary measures. The study discussed in our publication is no exception. What is the preparation for x-ray of the lumbosacral spine? The following is worth noting here:
- A few days before the diagnosis, it is recommended to stop eating foods that provoke the formation of an abundance of gases in the intestines. It is important to exclude black bread, potatoes, legumes, milk from the diet. You should also avoid carbonated drinks.
- Preparation for an x-ray of the lumbar spine includes taking enzyme preparations. We are talking about such pharmacological agents as "Mezim", "Festal", "Enterosgel". If the effect of bloating does not disappear, you can additionally take activated charcoal.
- Before performing diagnostics, it will not be superfluous to cleanintestines with an enema or drugs with a laxative effect. It is worth resorting to such decisions not only in the evening, on the eve of the study, but also immediately before the radiography.
Your doctor can explain in detail how to prepare for an x-ray of the lumbosacral spine. In addition to the above actions, the specialist will indicate additional conditions that make it possible to increase the information content of the image. This includes emptying the bladder, as well as removing metal products and all kinds of jewelry from the body. Ignoring such recommendations leads to a delay in x-rays. The result is the formation of shadow areas in the pictures.
Performing diagnostics
How is an x-ray of the lumbar spine done? Diagnostics is performed in a specialized room. When visiting the treatment room, the patient is required to strictly comply with all the requirements of the laboratory assistant. The visitor to the office exposes the body to the waist and sits on a special table. In this case, the diagnosis can be carried out not only in the supine position, but also sitting. Sometimes, in order to obtain the most reliable results, the doctor requires the patient to bend in the lower back and move the knees to the chest.
In order to make a high-quality x-ray of the lumbar spine, the patient must try to maintain absolute immobility. Otherwise black and whitethe shadow shot may be blurry.
Features of the study
X-ray of the lumbosacral spine takes about 15-20 minutes. This time is enough to create a series of images that are sent to the attending physician for interpretation. As soon as the results are received, the patient once again visits the doctor, who gives an opinion regarding the nature of the pathology and draws up a treatment program.
X-rays are allowed several times. It all depends on the dose of radiation received. The need for re-examination may arise if the patient's condition worsens or the quality of the images is poor.
X-Ray Techniques
Diagnosis of the condition of the spine in the lumbosacral region can be carried out using several techniques. Allocate direct, lateral and oblique version of the study. We are talking about the acceptance by the patient of different positions of the body. For example, the use of the lateral projection technique makes it possible to determine how well the joints bend and unbend. In turn, direct projection seems to be the best solution for assessing the correct posture and mobility of the entire spine.
Transcript of results
Thanks to the X-ray of the lumbar spine, the doctor is able to see the following pathologies in the pictures:
- Anomalies in the structure of the bone tissue - the black-and-white image shows the processes of the vertebrae, which are neoplasms. Availabilitythe latter leads to a curvature of posture.
- Osteochondrosis - the picture shows a change in the size of the gaps between the vertebrae and a violation of the normal position of the discs.
- Deforming spondylosis - pathology is detected when deciphering the results of an x-ray study of ossifications that form near the ligaments of the joints.
- Arthrosis - signs of the disease are reflected in the form of bone growths on an x-ray.
- Intervertebral hernia - it is quite difficult to distinguish pathological changes characteristic of the disease in a black and white image. You can notice the violation in the presence of wedge-shaped cracks between the vertebrae. Additional magnetic resonance imaging is often required to confirm the diagnosis.
- Tuberculosis spondylitis - the picture shows damage to the edges of the vertebrae, as well as the presence of cavities in their structure.
Contraindications
X-rays of the lumbar spine are prohibited for pregnant women. Performing a study during the period of bearing a child can affect the condition of the fetus in the most unpredictable way. Doctors also do not advise resorting to the technique during breastfeeding. If, however, it is impossible to refuse such a diagnosis due to certain reasons, in this case, the belly of a pregnant woman is protected using a specialized apron with lead plates.
Relativea contraindication is the presence of excess weight in the patient. Abundant fat deposits on the body can lead to a decrease in the information content of the pictures.
Contraindications also include mental problems that cause increased nervous excitability of a person. In such situations, it is difficult for the patient to remain still during the diagnosis, which is an important point in terms of obtaining reliable results.
Advantages of the technique
X-ray examination has several advantages. Pictures with diagnostic results look like solid information carriers that can be stored in the medical history for a long time. You can also receive data in digital form.
Performing x-rays of the lumbosacral region is available in almost every medical facility. In this case, the picture will be ready within a few hours after the procedure. This point is important when the patient has serious he alth complaints.
X-ray makes it possible to quickly identify fractures, dislocations, displacement of intervertebral discs, inflammation in the joints. Thus, there is no need for diagnostics using CT or MRI, which requires spending a lot of money.
If the person is unable to visit the procedure room on their own, x-rays can be done at home. For these purposes, doctors resort to the use of specialized portable devices. The resulting images are at leastinformative compared to images taken in a hospital setting.
Alternative diagnostic methods
Evaluate the condition of the spine in the lumbar region also allow some other studies. When it comes to diagnosing complex pathologies, doctors come to the aid of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. These techniques are more informative than conventional x-rays. Based on their results, it is possible to clearly distinguish between all kinds of hernias, pathological neoplasms, bone tissue deformities.
As for the shortcomings of CT and MRI, it must be said about the need for preliminary injection of contrast agents into the patient's body. However, such actions can be resorted to not in all clinical cases. The problem is the presence in certain people of specific allergic reactions to the used contrast composition. Among other things, the burden on the patient's body from radiation in the case of the use of such techniques is also quite high. Therefore, all the same contraindications apply here, similar to radiography.
In conclusion
As you can see, radiography of the lumbosacral spine can reveal a wide range of diseases and pathological changes in the structure of bone tissue. In order to expect to receive the most reliable results of the study, the patient needs to pay attention to the peculiarities of preparing for the diagnosis, as well as listen to the doctor's recommendations. Only in this case, specialists will be able to correctly interpret the results of x-rays.
