Resources to learn how to read chest x-rays?

[mac_kin]

Does anyone have any recommendations for online resources and good websites where one can look at chest x-rays or perhaps self-teach to read chest x-rays?

If you know of other good resources (textbooks etc) please let me know as well!

Thanks!

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[engineeredout]

http://www.info-radiologie.ch/chest_x-ray.php

That site has some Xrays, but IMO its way better for learning basic CTs.

 

[vanbamm]

there should be other links to various parts of radiology depending on what you are learning to look at.
http://www.rad.msu.edu/education/pages/stu_resources/common/pages/Aben/IM_TUTOR/default.htm

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

The Learning Radiology site is good. As is Felson's principles of chest roentgenology. One free, one pretty cheap used. The book is excellent.

 

[RxnMan]

Greg Briggs's pocket text. Lots of examples are included, small enough to go on the wards with you.

 

[sonofva]

there is also an ipod/iphone app called the "Chest X-ray Interpreter."

 

[Savage Henry]

This is my first post on this forum, so please forgive me if I offend.

I guess this falls into the "other resources" category:

I'm an X-Ray tech, and I've shot and looked at a bazillion CXRs. One of my jobs is at an Urgent Care that is located about 5 miles from a medical school, and (with my doc's permission of course) I invite med students to look at various x-rays all the time. That facility has digital x-rays, so I can sort them by study type and by who took them (usually me, so I have an idea what the diagnosis turned out to be). A few clicks more and we look at the over-read sent back by the radiologist.

Once a week or so, my doc and I spend half an hour with two or three med students looking at real world studies on the gear you'll be using when you get into practice. I hope all those med students remember me when I apply to go to their school in two years...

Radiology is all about pattern recognition. Learn a few different ways to look (ABCDE, etc.), then find a kindly tech or a doc who will show you a bunch of studies. The more studies you see, the more the anomalies seem to jump out at you. It's also helpful to have access to the chart or someone who laid hands on the patient, so you get an idea of what the chief complaint/H and P translates to on film. I liken it to learning a language - daunting at first, but as your brain builds a vocabulary for radiographic interpretation, it makes more and more sense.

Not all of us allied health people are bad folks - in many cases, you'll find people who have their eye set on med school (like myself), or realize that we'll be working for you in a few years anyway and we might as well build a positive relationship now. Ask around - I'll bet you'll get some scope dope like me to help you. Just be personable and respectful, and somebody like me will be happy to give you a hand.

Semper Fi,

Savage Henry

 

[phospho]

This is my first post on this forum, so please forgive me if I offend.

I guess this falls into the "other resources" category:

I'm an X-Ray tech, and I've shot and looked at a bazillion CXRs. One of my jobs is at an Urgent Care that is located about 5 miles from a medical school, and (with my doc's permission of course) I invite med students to look at various x-rays all the time. That facility has digital x-rays, so I can sort them by study type and by who took them (usually me, so I have an idea what the diagnosis turned out to be). A few clicks more and we look at the over-read sent back by the radiologist.

Once a week or so, my doc and I spend half an hour with two or three med students looking at real world studies on the gear you'll be using when you get into practice. I hope all those med students remember me when I apply to go to their school in two years...

Radiology is all about pattern recognition. Learn a few different ways to look (ABCDE, etc.), then find a kindly tech or a doc who will show you a bunch of studies. The more studies you see, the more the anomalies seem to jump out at you. It's also helpful to have access to the chart or someone who laid hands on the patient, so you get an idea of what the chief complaint/H and P translates to on film. I liken it to learning a language - daunting at first, but as your brain builds a vocabulary for radiographic interpretation, it makes more and more sense.

Not all of us allied health people are bad folks - in many cases, you'll find people who have their eye set on med school (like myself), or realize that we'll be working for you in a few years anyway and we might as well build a positive relationship now. Ask around - I'll bet you'll get some scope dope like me to help you. Just be personable and respectful, and somebody like me will be happy to give you a hand.

Semper Fi,

Savage Henry

very very VERY awesome post! 🙂

 

[dprice]

http://www.med.yale.edu/intmed/cardio/imaging/contents.html

 

[sonofva]

This is my first post on this forum, so please forgive me if I offend.

I guess this falls into the "other resources" category:

I'm an X-Ray tech, and I've shot and looked at a bazillion CXRs. One of my jobs is at an Urgent Care that is located about 5 miles from a medical school, and (with my doc's permission of course) I invite med students to look at various x-rays all the time. That facility has digital x-rays, so I can sort them by study type and by who took them (usually me, so I have an idea what the diagnosis turned out to be). A few clicks more and we look at the over-read sent back by the radiologist.

Once a week or so, my doc and I spend half an hour with two or three med students looking at real world studies on the gear you'll be using when you get into practice. I hope all those med students remember me when I apply to go to their school in two years...

Radiology is all about pattern recognition. Learn a few different ways to look (ABCDE, etc.), then find a kindly tech or a doc who will show you a bunch of studies. The more studies you see, the more the anomalies seem to jump out at you. It's also helpful to have access to the chart or someone who laid hands on the patient, so you get an idea of what the chief complaint/H and P translates to on film. I liken it to learning a language - daunting at first, but as your brain builds a vocabulary for radiographic interpretation, it makes more and more sense.

Not all of us allied health people are bad folks - in many cases, you'll find people who have their eye set on med school (like myself), or realize that we'll be working for you in a few years anyway and we might as well build a positive relationship now. Ask around - I'll bet you'll get some scope dope like me to help you. Just be personable and respectful, and somebody like me will be happy to give you a hand.

Semper Fi,

Savage Henry

agreed, awesome post. also, i do xr as well, and it definitely helps a lot when you know the physical diagnosis or chief complaint when looking at those CXR...after that it's all repetition.

 

[mac_kin]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! The LearningRadiology site and the Yale website are both very very helpful! Also, thanks Savage Henry for your input! Whenever I come across something I don't understand I try to find the MD/resident or experienced respiratory therapist on the floor to give me a hand.

I'm actually a physical therapist working in cardiac ICU and although I do not have to diagnose the x-ray under my scope of practice, often times the MD report does not become available for a 24-48 hours later. So it's definitely helpful to know the basics to help me establish my own diagnosis. I'm mostly interested in knowing the difference between different post-surgical respiratory complications - differentiating pneumothorax/hemothorax/pleural effusion/atelectesis etc. The websites are definitely helpful because they show examples of each clearly.

Anyway, thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I highly recommend Folsen's Principles of Chest Roentology. It's perfect for what you need. It's walks you through step-by-step with a fill-in-the-blank format (like Dubin's EKG book) and gives you a method for reading chest films. It covers all the things you've mentioned wanting to know. It's a great primer and will get you on your feet with a basic level of understanding.

 

[45408]

www.learningradiology.com

 

[Ischemic]

Yeah, I was going to say what savage henry said. Why not just go shadow a doc/radiologist in the radiology dept? Probably be easier to have someone explain things to you rather than trying to figure it out yourself. Books are good but having someone who's familiar with tricks/shortcuts would seem even better.

 

[Wrigleyville]

The key to finding abnormalities and not missing things is to have a search pattern. Any will do, so just find something you like and stick with it. Felson's and Learningradiology are both great resources in that regard, as well as pointing out basic disease patterns.

Like the rest of medicine, however, there are no shortcuts. You can read about how to do a neurologic exam in a book, but you really need to get out there and examine patients to be any good at it and recognize findings. Same goes for CXRs. Luckily, your hospital PACs has at least tens of thousands of "patients" for you to examine anytime you like. You just need to take the time to go through some of them.

 

[IandIatrogenic]

I highly recommend Folsen's Principles of Chest Roentology. It's perfect for what you need. It's walks you through step-by-step with a fill-in-the-blank format (like Dubin's EKG book) and gives you a method for reading chest films. It covers all the things you've mentioned wanting to know. It's a great primer and will get you on your feet with a basic level of understanding.

Second that Felson's is a great book for chest X-rays