The  first  thing to  be  borne  in  mind  in  the  use  of  mobile  X-Ray  machine  is  radiation  protection: of  personnel  and  general  public. I  say  this  against  the  backdrop  of  mobile  X-Ray  machine  being wheeled  and  used  in  wards  that  might  not  be  properly  shielded  against  radiation.

In  my  experience  we  used  it   alongside  mobile lead-glass  shields  as  well  as  lead  aprons. We  directed  the  tube  head  towards  a  less-used  direction  in  the  ward.

Aside the  flexibility  of  using   using   it  anywhere  anytime  and  the  low  power consumption  or  requirement,  I  can't  find  other  significant   advantage  over  a  static  unit.  If  you  are  thinking  of  buying  one,  then  check  the  exposure  (factor)  ratings. It  should  have  atleast 20mAs  or  300mA  and  atleast  80kVp  to  be  able  to  handle  most  common  examinations.

Hello. Not quite sure what you are looking for here. Mobile x-ray is a necessary tool in a hospital. It is important to prevent stress for the severe ill patients, as pre-natal children, intensivecare unit patients, patients with unstable heartconditions and so on. When image quality is important mobile x-ray units can be a disadvantage, mostly because the most common mobile x-ray examination is chest x-ray, and for a optimal chest x-ray image the patient should be in an upright position. There are also other factors that makes it easier to get optimal x-ray diagnostic when you are in a static laboratory. Avantages: flexibility, the patient does not have to be moved (important for very ill patients). Disadvantages: somewhat more challenging to get the "the otpimal" x-ray picture, you can state that the scattered radiation is a problem but the radiation doses are very low so if you are using the inverse square law regarding distance and use protection if you have to stand beside the patient, the radiation issue is not very important. At St. Olavs University Hospital we dont pull "the radiation card" anymore if we are questioning a bedside examination, but we are pulling "the image quality card" if we suspect that the transport is of no harm to the patient. Dont know if this was what you were asking for?

I agree with the above comments but from my experience usually there is less  high resolution quality on x-plain films

Resolution  does  not  depend  strictly  on  whether  an  X-Ray  machine  is  static  or  mobile;  it  depends  more  on  the  rating of  the  machine. There  are  countless  designs  of  mobile  X-Ray  machines  that have  good  output. But  if  you  are   using  one  with  a  rating  like 50mA  (maximum)  and 70kVp  (maximum)  you  should  expect  to  have  poor  images  when  used  for  dense  anatomy.

The  concerns  in mobile  X-Ray  are  much  more of  radiation  protection  and  durability.

Hello I agree but it depends as the above comments,  if there is not transport concern better static X-Ray machine for radiation protection in Dpt

Hi, Albertina,

As you are a radiographer, I suspect you already know the benefits and challenges of mobile radiography and are looking for academic documentation. I am attaching a file with a bibliography of several sources that you may find useful. (Don't forget to look at the articles cited by these articles. It may lead you to exactly what you are looking for.) Personally, I can deal with both the radiation exposure (keep everyone back 2m or shield them) and have always had access to mobile units that have the same technical factor capabilities as the stationary rooms. What I see as the biggest challenge in mobile radiography is the ability to achieve the correct part-image receptor-central ray alignment. It is not impossible, but much more challenging in the mobile environment than in a dedicated R&F room.

I would love to know more about what you are working on. It is nice to have a community of radiographers that are interested in research.

Carla

Hi! Thank you all for your answers. Sorry for the imprecisely formulated question.  

Carla, you are right I was looking for literature on the subject, thank you for the list.

What I'm most interested in is information on status for use of mobile devices outside the hospitals (care-homes, general practitioners' offices, screening units, etc). As far as I know some countries are starting such programs while other countries don't use them almost at all anymore.

Hi again. I guess you are aware of the mobile x-ray service provided to care homes in Oslo and in Østfold. There is one radiographer in charge of a car and a mobile x-ray device. Prof. Frode Lærum was the leader of this prosject in Oslo when it started.

Hi Tommy and thank you for the information.

Greetings

As for image quality, the better the stationary X-ray devices. The use of mobile devices in their daily needs puts the issue of protection of patients, staff and the quality of the image. You need to distinguish what is the objective of such a time and what is expected as a result.

Croatia has been implementing a "National Program for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer" mobile mammography. Mammography machine installed in the van. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the results and whether additional mobile mammography takes. The program is conducted in hospitals in classical mammography every day. The idea of mobile mammography was to be carried out in remote areas, where patients were quite distant from the hospital.

I do not know whether I correctly guessed the topic and what you thought.

thank you

Alan

Hi, Albertina,

What an interesting thought! I find international comparisons of imaging practice fascinating. Here in the central US, we have several companies that provide mobile radiography to care centers and retirement homes. Several of our recent grads are working for these companies. In the past, they were film-screen based imaging and the image quality (at least around here) was often poor because the technologist had to drive an hour or two to develop the image and didn't know if they had made positioning mistakes until they were well away from the patient. All of the companies in this area have adopted CR systems that have photostimulable phosphor plate readers in their cars and are connected to PACS systems by cell. The physicians offices and other centers use standard radiographic rooms when they offer imaging services (although I do know of a couple of places with a

Your question also tugged at a memory from my past. One of the radiologists that I have worked with did studies using hand held x-ray units (typically designed for dental use) in combat situations. It may not be of interest, but just in case, I am attaching a RIS file of the articles that you can upload to Zotero or Endnote or whatever citation tool you use.

Carla

When CT is mentioned I can say that there is also some trials in south of Norway (Østfold and Stavanger area) using CT scanning of the head in the ambulance care.

Thank you Victoria and Tommy for your answers.

Hi Albertina,

I am using a mobile x-ray system - Examion - DR Flexible. It has a wireless digital detector sending the aquired image directly to a laptop in secconds after exposure.

I have to mention that I work in a Museum examinig cultural heritage objects, normally in a stationary lab but from time to time we have to move out to our galleries or storerooms when the size of the examined object is too big to fit in our workshop. The biggest one we have done is 7 x 3 meters - 236 exposures stiched into one image.

Should you need more information please ask.

best wishes,

Michał