X-Ray Femur 1V
X Ray Basics:
Femur X-ray, also known as Femur series, is an X-ray performed using radiation to image the anatomy of the thigh bone. It may be done to look for pathologies of the femur bone, evidence of injury, or measuring the progress of a fracture of the femur. It is also usually performed as a second test after a hip or knee X-ray has shown a femoral fracture.
Why Do You Need A Femur X-ray?
The femur (or thigh bone) is the thickest and largest bone in your body and covered by thigh muscles. Strong quad muscles, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and groin muscles make it hard for a broken Femur shaft to nudge through the skin.
The thigh bone is about an inch and a half thick and hollow as a piece of pipe. The upper part of the femur is connected to the hip joint, while the lower part widens and links to the patella knee (knee cap) and tibia (shin bone). The bone's thickness, position, and orientation require a significant amount of energy to cause a fracture that most often is reported in a car accident, motorcycle accident, fall from a height or injury from a high-speed activity such as biking or skiing.
A patient suffering from a femur fracture is likely to have other injuries or head/neck, abdomen, and pelvis. These injuries may be life-threatening.
Femur fractures result in a lot of pain to the patient, and the leg usually looks floppy and deformed. The patient shouldn't apply any pressure on a broken femur.
When Do You Need It?
A femur X-ray can help determine the causes of symptoms such as tenderness, swelling, unexplained pain, deformity, or limpness. Your doctor may also request a femur X-ray to observe the proper alignment and healing in a previously broken bone.
Femur radiographs will usually be performed for a variety of indications, including:
● injury/trauma
● proximal femoral fractures
● obvious deformities
● prosthetic purposes
● suspected foreign body
● inability to weight bear
● osteomyelitis
● suspicion of bony injury
Your health care provider may also request X-rays of the femur for other injuries or conditions:
● infection
● arthritis
● tendinitis
● bone spurs
● foreign bodies
● tumors
● congenital issues
● observe bone growth and development in children
How Do You Need To Prepare?
There is no special preparation required to get Femur X-ray, however, keep the following points in mind before your online consultation:
●If there are chances of pregnancy, inform your physician and radiologist to discuss the exposure limit for the developing fetus.
●Remove any jewelry or metal objects that might distort the radiographic image.
●Consult the X-ray technician if you wear any on-body devices such as an insulin pump or have metal implants from prior surgeries
●You may be asked to change into the hospital gown for the imaging at the time of the scan.
What Can You Expect?
X-raying is a routine, painless procedure that uses radiation to image anatomy. The type of procedure and indication will dictate patient positioning, such as lying on the table, sitting, or standing, along with the types of equipment being used. The patient will be positioned on an X-ray table that carefully places the affected part between the X-ray machine and the cassette with the X-ray film.
The technician will cover any parts not being imaged with a lead sheet to avoid any unnecessary exposure to radiation. In most cases, when an X-ray is performed to determine injury, the technician takes special care (splint, brace) to prevent further damage.
You will be asked to hold a particular position for a few seconds without moving while the image is being made. The stances required for the X-rays may feel uncomfortable, but they need to be held for only a few seconds. If the technician feels the radiographs obtained are blurry, the procedure will have to be redone.
What Do Your X-ray Test Results Mean?
A radiologist will study your X-rays and send a detailed report to your surgeon, who will discuss the results and explain what it means.
Femur fractures almost always require surgery, but due to circumstances and availability, your surgeon may decide to stabilize or 'fix' your leg using traction pins into your bone above and below the knee and a rope with a weight at the other end.
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