General X-ray
The familiar 'X-ray' was the earliest of the currently utilized diagnostic imaging techniques to be applied to clinical practice. X-rays are still widely used in general medicine particularly for imaging bones and the chest. A radiograph is a visible photographic record produced on a special type of film by X-rays passing through a body part. A specially trained radiographer positions the patient on the X-ray table and aligns the X-ray beam. X-rays have enough energy to pass through body tissue, however some X-rays are absorbed or scattered. Dense tissue such as bone absorbs more radiation than soft tissue. The remaining X-rays pass into a film cassette where they are absorbed by a chemical layer in the cassette known as a phosphor screen. The phosphor emits light proportional to the intensity of the X-ray beam striking it. In turn, this light exposes the X-ray film contained in the cassette. The exposed film is then processed in an automatic developer.
