Madame Curie and her husband were responsible for the further explanation and application of radiation and the invention of the first portable x-ray machines. Since WWI, x-ray machines have come a very long way. They are now safer to use than they ever were, reducing the amount of radiation to which patients are exposed. The technology has also advanced. Newer, more modern digital x-ray machines have so many more applications and flexibility of use, and they produce images that are instantly downloaded to a computer screen so that they can be read almost immediately. The following highlights just some of the many applications that a digital x-ray machine can be used for.
Pediatric Use
Smaller exam tables and lesser amounts of radiation make the pediatric application particularly valuable to pediatricians. Children can easily hop up onto the x-ray table to have a hand, arm, leg, or foot exposed to make sure there are no breaks. (Infants remain the only ones who cannot have x-rays taken of their bodies, with the exception of a post-mortem examination.)
360-Degree Panoramic X-Ray
Digital x-ray machines may also be outfitted to move and turn on a 360-degree track on a wall or in the ceiling. A doctor or dentist can get a complete view of bones or teeth to see how they are growing or healing or whether the bones are injured or broken. The patient sits inside a futuristic-looking x-ray capsule or stands in the middle of a room while the fully robotic x-ray machine circles around the patient taking pictures.
Standing X-ray
Digital x-ray machines are able to take static standing pictures, too. They are attached to rolling platforms that can be moved around the patient while the patient is standing against a wall. Sometimes these machines do not have wheels, but are mounted to a pole system that looks similar to an airport inspection terminal. You stand still in one position while the machine is set to photograph the one part of your body your doctor wants to see.
Podiatrist Application
The legs and feet are some of the most common areas of the body to experience breaks. As such, the new digital x-ray machines can detach from the table and move to an overhead position to photograph feet and legs in various positions that cannot be done when your leg is just laying on the x-ray table. Taking these alternative x-ray shots of your leg and/or foot tends to be more revealing, as this position causes the soft tissues to be moved out of the way of the sight of the bones.
Portable Application
Finally, coming full circle, the original portable x-ray machine invented by Madame Curie has gone through quite the transformation in the last one hundred years. It has become a truly life-saving machine that can be used nearly anywhere. It is also much, much smaller than the size of a truck; it is now not much bigger than a a large storage box, and it is very easy to lift, too. (If you want your hospital or clinic staff to have access to a portable, digital x-ray machine, be sure to purchase one with any other x-ray machine to receive any current promotions or discount offers.)
You Can Skip the Messy X-Ray Printing Sheets
Now that you can get all of the x-rays uploaded to a computer, you can transfer the images to a tablet computer to share with patients. You do not have to order, use, or recycle the chemicals and x-ray printing sheets ever again. Because everything is digitized, the images are stored directly in the patient's file.
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