Foundations of Radiology

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. identify the nature of radiation and the components of the x-ray machine; 2. explain the interactions of x-rays with matter and appropriate doses of x-rays; 3. enumerate the direct and indirect effects of x-rays on cells, tissues and organs; 4. design appropriate dose exposure risks mechanism; 5. identify processing solutions and their individual functions; 6. list the steps of manual film processing; and 7. describe the parameters of image sharpness and resolution.

Composition of matter and nature of radiation. Radiation chemistry including deterministic and stochastic effects. Sources of radiation exposure. Dose limits and reducing radiation exposure. Components of the x-ray machine and factors controlling the ray beam. Dosimetry, x-ray films and processing solutions. Darkroom equipment and manual/automatic film processing, knowledge of the basic physics and principles of radiology, knowledge of the effect of radiation on biologic tissues. Knowledge of the safety precautions and protection guidelines in x-rays usage. Knowledge of the x-ray machine and the beam it produces. Knowledge of the darkroom and processing solutions.