Fluoroscopy Procedure
Fluoroscopy is a type of imaging procedure that uses several pulses of an X-ray beam to take real-time footage of tissues inside your body. Specialists use it to help monitor and diagnose certain conditions and as imaging guidance for certain procedures.
It is a medical imaging procedure that uses several pulses (brief bursts) of an X-ray beam to show internal organs and tissues moving in real time on a computer screen. Standard X-rays are like photographs, whereas fluoroscopy is like a video.
Specialists use Fluoroscopy
For diagnostic purposes and to help guide certain treatment procedures (known as interventional guidance), such as surgeries and catheter placements. Specialists can use it to look at Musculoskeletal systems includes bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissues.
- Barium X-rays.
- Catheter insertion and manipulation.
- Arthrography and orthopedic surgery.
- Percutaneous vertebroplasty.
- Angiogram.
- Biopsies.
- To guide injections into joints or the spine.
- To locate foreign bodies.
Preoperative and intraoperative C-arm fluoroscopy is an important tool in orthopedic surgery. It enhances surgical decision-making and decreases the duration of surgery, but it poses a risk of ionizing radiation exposure to the patient and the surgeon. Thorough knowledge of fluoroscopy techniques allows for shaper imaging to reduce radiation exposure to the surgeon and the patient. This activity provides a comprehensive review of the fundamentals and application of fluoroscopy in orthopedics, interpretation, techniques, application in special situations, and safety protocols used by the interprofessional team to minimize radiation exposure with emphasis on the need for training in radiation safety and recent advances.