Medical Imaging for the Health Care Provider: Practical Radiograph Interpretation

This unique book fills a void in radiology interpretation texts by encompassing the foundational tools and concepts of the full range of medical imaging, including radiology, the basics of interpretation of plain radiographs, comparison with other testing modalities, the rationale for selecting the first diagnostic step, and exploration and interpretation of chest, abdomen, extremity, and spinal radiographs. A concise, easy-to-use reference, it includes written descriptions enhanced with figures, tables, and actual patient films to demonstrate concepts, and discusses--in easily accessible language--differences in testing modalities. The text also features a step-by-step guide to the interpretation of radiographs. This resource describes and compares available diagnostic modalities, including plain radiograph, CT scan, nuclear imaging, MRI, and ultrasound. It discusses pediatric considerations and includes separate chapters for the chest, abdomen, upper and lower extremities, and the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. The book will be an asset to nurse practitioners and physician assistants working in all emergency, urgent, intensive, and primary care settings. It will also benefit medical students and graduate students in acute care, family, adult/gerontology, and emergency nurse practitioner programs, as well as emergency/trauma clinical nurse specialists, and hospitalists and intensivist nurse practitioners.