Radiographic Basic views Posteroanterior PA view and Anteroposterior AP view

Radiographic x-ray Basic views (PA view) and (AP view)

Basic views–

There are mainly two basic type of x-ray view ,
Radiographic examination is the key to the diagnosis of many skeletal abnormalities,
Obliteration of normal soft-tissue lines and the presence of a joint effusion are of particular importance,
The radiographic findings are then correlated with the clinical history and the age and sex of the patient to arrive at a logical diagnosis,

1. Posteroanterior view (PA view)

The plain postero-anterior (PA) chest film is the most frequently requested radiological examination.
Remember that the closer an object is to the film, the sharper are the borders.
A current film is mandatory before proceeding to more complex investigations.
Most of the important structures in the chest such as the heart and great vessels are located anteriorly.
Comparison of the current film with old films is valuable and should always be undertaken if the old films are available.
Therefore it is not surprising that the best way to take a chest radiograph is with the patient’s front against the film.
The further away it is from the film, the more magnified and fuzzy is the shadow of the object (The Basics; experiment 2).
Visualisation of the lungs is excellent because of the inherent contrast of the tissues of the thorax.
Lateral films should not be undertaken routinely.
The X-ray is shot from the patient’s back and is therefore

2. Anteroposterior view (AP view)

Sometimes the patient is too sick to stand or sit for a PA view. so for emergency conditions,
In this case, a lower quality AP view is taken.
When patients are too sick to have an upright PA view of the chest, then an AP supine view is taken.
A film is placed under the patient’s back and an X-ray is shot through the patient from the front.
Recall that patients in this view are lying on their back. If an effusion is present, it will layer between the posterior chest wall and the lung due to gravity.
Therefore, it appears larger than it really is and its borders are fuzzier, just like the finger in our experiment (The Basics; experiment 2),
In this view, the heart is farther from the film.