TECH CORNER – X-RAYS

from Wild Life 2022 vol 1

by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

CONSERVATION AND ZOOS

X-RAYS

We’ve all heard of X-rays before, but what exactly are they and how do they work?

X-rays have been used for over a century to detect a range of conditions in the body from injuries to diseases. They are quick, painless procedures commonly used on humans and animals to produce images of the inside of the body. Mostly, they are used to look at bones and joints, but can also be used to detect issues affecting internal organs.

This is the X-ray generator – the machine that produces the X-rays. It is held on a stand above the X-ray plate where the animal is placed. The black plate on which the animal is placed is a Bluetooth-enabled digital X-ray plate. This communicates via Bluetooth to a receiver box connected to the computer, which then digitally processes the image and shows it on the screen.

X-rays are a type of radiation that can pass through the body. The energy is absorbed differently by different parts of the body depending on their density. For example, dense materials like bone and metal will show up as white on an X-ray, whereas softer parts such as the heart, lungs and muscle will show up as darker areas. The X-ray plate on the other side of the body detects the X-rays once they’ve passed through and produces an image.

At Jersey Zoo, the veterinary department uses X-rays as part of routine health checks, for example when an animal is coming out of quarantine or before an animal moves to another zoo. X-rays are also used for diagnostic purposes if an animal is unwell or has suspected injuries. Sometimes X-rays are used to track diseases that are known to progress over time, such as age-related arthritis. Over the last year, the vet team have carried out over 100 radiographic procedures on animals from across the zoo.