X-rays In Medicine

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  • Created by: Jess
  • Created on: 21-05-13 13:26

X-rays in medicine

X-rays are ionising- they can damage living cells, but they can be really useful as well...

X-ray images are used in hospitals for medical diagnosis

1) X-rays are high frequency, short wavelength electromagnetic waves. Their wavelength is roughly the same size as the diameter of an atom.

2) They are transmitted by (pass through) healthy tissue, but are absorbed by denser materials like bones and metal.

3) They affect photographic film in the same way as light, which means they can be used to take photographs.

4) X-ray photographs can be used to diagnose many medical conditions such as bone fractures or dental problems.

5) X-ray images can be formed electronically using charge-coupled devices (CCDs). CCDs are silicon chips about the size of a postage stamp, divided up into a grid of millions of identical pixels. CCDs detect X-rays and produce electronic signals which are used to form high resolution images. The same technology is used to take photographs in digital cameras.

CT scans use X-rays

Computerised axial tomography (CT) scans use X-rays to…

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