What is an X-Ray?
An x-ray is a painless medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. X-rays involve exposing a part of the body to a small dose of ionizing radiation to produce pictures of the inside of the body. X-rays are the oldest and most frequently used form of medical imaging.
What is Fluoroscopy?
Fluoroscopy is a study of moving body structures - similar to an x-ray "movie". A continuous x-ray beam is passed through the body part being examined, and is transmitted to a TV-like monitor so that the body part and its motion can be seen in detail.
Fluoroscopy may be performed to evaluate specific areas of the body, including the bones, muscles, and joints, as well as organs such as the stomach, lung, and kidneys. Fluoroscopy is used in many examinations and procedures such as barium swallows, upper gastrointestinal exams, arthrography, and myelograms.
What is Myelography?
Myelography is a type of radiographic examination that uses a contrast medium to detect pathology of the spinal cord, including the location of a spinal cord injury, cysts, and tumors. The procedure often involves injection of contrast medium into the cervical or lumbar spine, followed by several X-ray projections. A myelogram may help to find the cause of pain not found by an MRI or CT. Myelography has been largely replaced by the use of CT and MRI scans.
A CT is typically performed after myelographic material has been placed with fluoroscopic guidance. A CT myelogram is most useful for patients who cannot undergo MRI (eg those with pacemakers or cochlear implants) or for those in whom MRI provides limited information (eg those with extensive metal in the spine).
The process usually involves lying face down on a table, and your feet are secured tightly with straps to the table itself. The Radiologist will perform the spinal tap, introducing the contrast medium. The table is then slowly rotated in a circular motion, first down at the head end for approximately 4-6 minutes, then rotated up at the head end for the same duration. Several more minutes lying flat and the process is complete. This movement insures the contrast has sufficiently worked its way through the spinal cord.
It is very important to not lift anything for at least 24 hours following this procedure, and to lie flat for at least the same amount of time. There is a high chance that excessive movement or any lifting will release the 'plug' at the site of the spinal tap, and CSF will then drain from your brain and cause very severe headaches. This can be corrected by returning to the medical facility and having them perform a 'blood patch', a small amount of blood from your arm, injected into the exact spinal tap location, to stop the leaking of CSF.
