Use of image intensifier in the extraction of radiopaque foreign bodies in traumatology

Abstract

In the present research work, we investigated the use of the image intensifier in the extraction of radiopaque foreign bodies in traumatology. First of all, it is necessary to clarify that this method constitutes an essential component of practically generalized use, in which low current level radiation is used, that is, fluoroscopic radiation, so that it can be applied for a considerably longer time than that of the longest radiographic exposure. This tool works with a tube intended for this purpose, which is known as fluoroscopy. The radiations from the tube pass through the patient and reach the serigraph, on which the image intensifier or fluoroscopic screen is mounted. In the latter case, this is where the chain ends, since it is on this screen that the image is formed and where the physician directly observes the region to be studied. It is also necessary to define that a foreign body is any element foreign to the body that enters it, either through the skin or through any natural orifice such as the eyes, nose, throat, preventing its normal functioning. It was possible to obtain as a result that the advantages of fluoroscopic navigation are the reduction of surgical time and the amount of irradiation, which goes from about 140 seconds without navigation to only 8 seconds, which is a substantial difference. Among the conclusions, it was possible to highlight that in the case of a radiopaque object, it is essential to have an image intensifier for localization of the foreign body during surgery; while in the case of a radiolucent foreign body, it is more advisable to locate it through the clinic, since these tend to form granulomas.