Type of Surgery
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Last updated: 11/24/2009
Skull or sinus x rays may be performed in a doctor's office that has x ray equipment and a technologist available. The exam may also be performed in an outpatient radiology facility or a hospital radiology department.
In many instances, particularly...
for sinus views, the patient will sit upright in a chair, perhaps with the head held stable by a foam vise. A film cassette is located behind the patient. The x ray tube is in front of the patient and may be moved to allow for different positions and views. A patient may also be asked to move his or her head at various angles and positions.
In some cases, technologists will ask the patient to lie on a table and will place the head and neck at various angles. In routine skull x rays, as many as five different views may be taken to allow a clear picture of various bones and tissues. The length of the test will vary depending on the number of views taken, but in general, it should last about 10 minutes. The technologist will usually ask a patient to wait while the films are being developed to ensure that they are adequate before going to the radiologist.
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A skull X-ray is a series of pictures of the bones of the skull. The nasal sinuses can also be viewed on a skull X-ray. Skull X-rays have largely been replaced by computed tomography (CT) scans.
X-rays are a form of radiation, like light or radio waves, that are focused into a beam, much like a flashlight beam. X-rays can pass through most objects, including the human body. X-rays make a picture by striking a detector that either exposes a film or sends the picture to a computer Dense tissues in the body, such as bones, block (absorb) many of the X-rays and look white on an X-ray picture. Less dense tissues, such as muscles and organs, block fewer of the X-rays (more of the X-rays pass through) and look like shades of gray on an X-ray. X-rays that pass only through air look black.
From http://health.yahoo.com/children-conditions/skull-x-ray/healthwise--hw214348.html
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The total number of neurosurgeries performed in 2006 was estimated at 2,171,195. Of these, 1,345,167 spine-related were performed, equating to nearly 62 percent of the total.
From: AANS
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