How do x ray machines work

However, bone absorbs X-ray energy and does not expose the film. This area appears light or white on the film. This is how an X-ray image is created! X-rays are primarily used in the medical and dental field. Some of the more common X-rays are done for broken bones and fractures, swallowed items, damage to bones from arthritis, and lung infections. X-rays are also used in a CT scanner, or computed tomography. This modality uses multiple X-rays during one scan, to give a layer-by-layer image.

X-rays are also being used in non-medical areas, like airport security and by NASA in outer space. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained radiologists are dedicated to improving your health and quality of life through the benefits of digital imaging, including early and accurate diagnosis of your condition.

Give us a call today at to schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified and fellowship-trained radiologists. ACR accreditation is the gold standard in medical imaging. An X-Ray tube essentially is a high-vacuum diode consisting of a Cathode and Anode. X-ray tube operates by generating a stream of electrons by heating up a cathode tungsten filament. This stream of electrons is directed at high speed at a high voltage Anode disc usually tungsten. The X-Rays are focused by a collimator on to a photographic plate, where the image is captured.

The body-part being investigated is placed in the path of the X-Rays between the tube and the photographic plate. The tube cathode filament is heated with a low-voltage current of a few amps. The filament heats up and the electrons in the wire start breaking free. To kick off the flow of electrons, a strong electrical potential is created between the cathode and the anode by the generator.

Electrons that break free of the cathode are strongly attracted to the anode disc. Pictures may be taken from different views e. X-rays expose you to a small amount of radiation — about the amount you get from a cross-country flight.

The amount of radiation in an X-ray is too small to cause you any harm. Radiation in large doses can cause cancer and birth defects. Inform the doctor if you are or may be pregnant. The radiologist will promptly review your images and communicate directly with your referring doctor, who in turn will discuss the results with you.

Contrast media are often used in conjunction with a fluoroscope. In fluoroscopy, the X-rays pass through the body onto a fluorescent screen, creating a moving X-ray image. Doctors may use fluoroscopy to trace the passage of contrast media through the body. Doctors can also record the moving X-ray images on film or video. The high-impact collisions involved in X-ray production generate a lot of heat. A motor rotates the anode to keep it from melting the electron beam isn't always focused on the same area.

A cool oil bath surrounding the envelope also absorbs heat. The entire mechanism is surrounded by a thick lead shield. This keeps the X-rays from escaping in all directions. A small window in the shield lets some of the X-ray photons escape in a narrow beam. The beam passes through a series of filters on its way to the patient.

A camera on the other side of the patient records the pattern of X-ray light that passes all the way through the patient's body. The X-ray camera uses the same film technology as an ordinary camera , but X-ray light sets off the chemical reaction instead of visible light.

See How Photographic Film Works to learn about this process. Generally, doctors keep the film image as a negative. That is, the areas that are exposed to more light appear darker and the areas that are exposed to less light appear lighter.

Hard material, such as bone, appears white, and softer material appears black or gray. Doctors can bring different materials into focus by varying the intensity of the X-ray beam. X-rays are a wonderful addition to the world of medicine; they let doctors peer inside a patient without any surgery at all.

It's much easier and safer to look at a broken bone using X-rays than it is to open a patient up. But X-rays can also be harmful. In the early days of X-ray science, a lot of doctors would expose patients and themselves to the beams for long periods of time. Eventually, doctors and patients started developing radiation sickness , and the medical community knew something was wrong.

The problem is that X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation. When normal light hits an atom, it can't change the atom in any significant way. But when an X-ray hits an atom, it can knock electrons off the atom to create an ion , an electrically-charged atom. Free electrons then collide with other atoms to create more ions. An ion's electrical charge can lead to unnatural chemical reactions inside cells. Among other things, the charge can break DNA chains.

If a lot of cells die, the body can develop various diseases.