You are currently viewing Pros and Cons of X-Rays

Pros and Cons of X-Rays

An X-ray is a vital imaging tool used in the medical field to help in a range of discoveries. Although the X-rays are not 100% safe, they are very useful when well-controlled and used in an appropriate manner.

 

Pros:

1. Easy to use: Most hospitals have x-ray machines in the emergency rooms and they’re easy to use. If the patient needs the scan, it is easily done right away but if the patient needs an MRI or CT scan, he/she has to be booked in a hospital that uses these technologies.

2. Diagnose condition: X-rays can easily diagnose various conditions such as cancer tumors without any surgery.

3. Medium image quality: X-rays provide a medium image quality that can identify the problem with the patient.

4. Cheaper: Compared to other scanning devices, X-rays are cheaper. X-ray costs less than the MRI scan or CT scan. It is also cheaper to maintain X-ray equipment.

5. Treat bone fractures: X-rays are used to aid in treating bone fractures and tumors in patients. An x-ray taken for a bone fracture can indicate exactly where the bone is fractured and help the doctor concentrate on that area only.

6. Widely used: X-rays are used for wide medical discoveries like chest x-rays, skull x-rays, Barium enema, and Lumbar spine. It discovers infections, level of injuries, and identify abnormalities in your bones.

7. Non-invasive: X-rays not only help diagnose the medical issues but also can help monitor the progress of treatment without having to carry a physical examination.

8. Guide doctors: X-rays are used to guide doctors on where to insert some catheters and other medical equipment into the patient’s body.

9. Discover infections: When an x-ray is done to diagnose an issue, it sometimes shows us a pathology that is different from the initial reasons for imaging. Medical professionals can find a tumor or an infection in an unexpected area.

10. Low radiation: Compared to a CT scan, an x-ray has lower radiation effects.

 

Cons:

1. Radiation risk: X-rays put individuals at high risks of health issues. Exposure to radiation mutates cells causing ionization. Large exposure to x-ray radiation leads to an increased risk of skin cancer.

2. No detailed image of the body: X-rays don’t give a detailed image of one’s body especially if the doctor wants to find any medical issue with your body organs, brain, or bones. This makes MRI and CT scans excellent tools for body organ scans.

3. DNA change: Frequent use of X-rays can cause mutations in your DNA. This results in DNA change.

4. Affects bones: X-rays use ionizing radiation to produce imaging results on a patient. Depending on the type of x-ray, it can weaken your bones.

5. Image quality: X-rays do not produce the best image. CT scans and MRIs are much better at providing good image quality and reducing the risks associated with ionizing radiation. No 3D image information

6. Different energy levels: Depending on the type of x-ray scan being carried, each has a different form of energy being used to carry out scanning.

7. Associated risks: Each x-ray procedure has associated risks and this depends on the type of x-ray being carried out and the part of the body being scanned.

8. Side effects: There are short-term effects associated with exposure to radiation like vomiting, hair loss, and fainting.

9. Leukemia: It increases the risk of leukemia in children especially when done at certain doses around the abdomen and the chest. It can also contribute to brain cancer in children.

10. Bones blockage: The bones absorb radiation blocking significant diagnostics.

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Tyler Johnson

    That’s a good point that you would be able to find out what is going on inside a patient without having to cut them open to find out. I wouldn’t want to have my tooth cut open to find out if I have a cavity or something. That’s good that there is a much less invasive option.

    1. Tom

      ok Tyler ok

      1. Levi

        ok tom ok

        1. Steven He

          ok Levi ok

  2. Tammie Houston

    It’s good to know that radiology imaging services like x-rays are easy to use and cheaper to boot. I’m sure these benefits would be very important to a medical facility that has to treat a lot of patients in a day. The speed and ease in which it can provide results is sure to make any doctor that makes use of it have an easier time properly diagnosing their patients.

  3. Luke Smith

    I like that you talked about how most hospitals have X-ray machines in the emergency rooms and they’re easy to use. I was looking at a list of medical supplies earlier and I saw some x ray machines in it. It seems there are various X-ray machines now, which looks pretty interesting.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.