If You Took Your Boards Today, Could You Pass?

Myocardial infarction is commonly known as a heart attack. It occurs when blood flow stops to a part of the heart causing damage to the heart muscle.

The baby badge should be worn at the waist underneath the lead apron in addition to the badge that is worn at the collar over the lead apron.

LET stands for linear energy transfer. This is the energy that is transferred to the tissue as it traverses the patient. X-ray has a relatively low LET as most of its energy exits the patient. However, Alpha has a very high LET as the energy is not penetrating enough to exit the patient therefore it transfers all of its energy.

Diabetics must monitor their insulin levels. It is difficult for them to be NPO since their insulin levels will drop if they go a long time without eating. If they are scheduled early and complete their procedure early then they can eat sooner.

Trendelenburg is when the head is placed downward lower than the feet. This may be done for myelogram procedures. Fowler, which is the opposite position, is the feet lower.

Low back injuries are common for healthcare workers. To avoid this stand width your feet shoulder width apart, slightly bend your knees, and lift with your legs and not your back.

The bottom number, diastolic, is the measurement when the heart is at rest, in between beats.

To better visualize the colon it is helpful to introduce contrast. The high atomic number of the contrast media will produce an image with higher contrast and lead to better visualization.

Bone, because of its high atomic number, absorbs far more radiation than other organs such as the colon, kidneys, and bladder. Therefore, bone shows up as white on the image; the x-rays were absorbed in the bone and did not penetrate the part to expose the IR.

The inverse square law is the relationship between the (square of the) distance and intensity of the beam. As SID increases, intensity decreases.

An odor is the only option that can not cause a fire to burn.

A sesamoid bone is a bone embedded within a tendon or a muscle. The knee is a complex joint held together by ligaments and tendons and the patella sits anteriorly.

Time, distance, and shielding are the cardinal rules regarding radiation protection.

qid is a Latin term for four times a day.

Sterilization refers to any process that eliminates, removes, or kills microorganisms.

Lead is the barrier of choice because of its high atomic number and ability to absorb x-rays.

Two opposing views are needed to rule out a fracture. An AP pelvis is needed for comparison. A cross-table lateral is needed, since the patient is immobile and cannot move. The left leg can be moved and the image can be directed a cross the table.

A defendant was negligent in tort law. The act was so bad and obvious that it speaks for itself, there is no need for further explanation. Such as; hemostat left in a patient during an operation.

Increasing the source to image distance will help to compensate for the known object to image distance. This will help to minimize the magnification.

The scapula is a triangular bone that is very flat.

Only 1% of the energy is converted into x-ray photons. The remaining 99% is converted into heat.

KERMA stands for Kinetic Energy Released per unit Mass.

Peristalsis is the movement of the intestines. This movement causes blurring of the image, therefore creating a decrease in sharpness of the recorded detail

This is the most common area of fractures seen in the humerus. Fractures of the anatomical neck are less common, but more damaging. This is in the area of the growth plate.

100mA x .02s x 60 x 1 (single phase machine)= 120 heat units produced.

Subatomic particles are those found in an atom. Protons and neutrons are found inside the nucleus while electrons are in the orbiting shells of the atom.

ESE means entrance skin exposure.

Assault is the threat of touching a person in a harmful manner. Our patients may be afraid and they do not always hold still. By making this statement, we are guilty of assault.

A black and white film is a high contrast film as there is a high difference between black and white. High contrast is also known as short-scale or narrow latitude.

When collimation is increased, field size decreased. Think of increasing the USE of collimation which limits the size of the beam. This limiting of field size decreases the number of x-rays striking the patient which will decrease the amount of Compton scatter created.

To center for a KUB the central ray should be centered to the mid-sagittal plane and at the iliac crest.

The acromion is a bony process on the scapula.

This radiograph demonstrates motion and the blurring associated with it. A decreased SID does not improve recorded detail, but an increase SID does. Decreasing the SID would increase magnification. A faster exposure time and having the patient hold their breath would prevent motion cause by movement or breathing.

A faster exposure time and having the patient hold their breath would reduce motion caused by movement or breathing.

Exposure measures the number created, air KERMA measures the total energy of those ions in air.

The lateral view of the elbow demonstrates the olecranon process and the fat pads in profile.

When kVp is doubled, there is an increase in penetration. However, it is not by a factor of six. All other options are true; increasing kVp increases penetration, increasing kVp by 15% has the same effect as doubling the mAs, and increasing kVp increases the visibility of scatter.

Leakage radiation is limited to 1 mGy/hr at 1 meter at the highest mA and kVp setting.

It is used to slow down the motion of the bowel, especially for barium enemas. Glucagon is also a common drug used to treat hypoglycemia.

To calculate the time you must do take the mAs/mA. 40/200=.2

The formula for the inverse square law is Intensity 1 over Intensity 2 equals Distance 2 over Distance 1 squared. Remember, the problem is inverse because as distance increases, the intensity of the beam decreases. Therefore, this problem should be set up as 500 over X equals 15 over 2 squared. After squaring the two distances and completing the formula the answer is 9 mR. For a reminder on how to find “X” refer to the video on the inverse square law.
Remember, you can easily eliminate 2 answers without doing math. Since the distance (SID) is increasing, that means the intensity of the beam will go down and be lower than the original 500. Think of getting farther from a fire, the intensity of the heat would decrease.

An image created with high kVp creates a low contrast radiograph. Increasing kVP makes scatter more visible and adds shades of gray to the film. When there are more shades of gray on the film there are lower differences between each shade. Therefore, it is a lower contrast radiograph.

mAs and receptor exposure are directly proportional. Meaning, if mAs is increased so is the exposure, by the same amount. For example, if the mAs is doubled, the exposure (density) doubles. If the mAs is tripled, the exposure triples.

150 mSv is the dose equivalent limits for the lens of the eye.

Although it is possible since there is no threshold for cancers (it is a stochastic effect), it is not likely that it would occur at low doses.

The bucky slot cover must have a thickness of 0.25mm lead to protect the gonads of the technologist. This thickness assumes that the operator is wearing an apron.

A non-threshold model shows that no dose of radiation is safe since the first dose shows a response.

A Dobhoff feeding tube is a nasogastric tube that is inserted into the nose and through the esophagus down into the stomach.

The formula for the inverse square law is I1/I2=D2/D1 squared. So this problem would be set up as 20/x=7/3 squared. After solving for X as outlined in the video, the answer is 4 mR/hr (rounded).

Increasing the kVp increases the quality or penetrability of the beam. Therefore, a higher energy beam will need a thicker half-value later to reduce the intensity of the beam to half the original value.

No matter the patient size, a 5 degree cephalic angle is added to lateral knees.