What is imperative to avoid during a forearm scan?

What is imperative to avoid during a forearm scan?

• A. Movement artifacts
• B. Overexposure artifacts
• C. Incorrect centering artifacts
• D. Measurement artifacts

Answer: (A)

Avoiding movement artifacts is critical during a forearm scan because even slight motion by the patient can lead to inaccuracies in the measurement of bone density. Movement artifacts can blur the images obtained during the scan, making it challenging to interpret the results accurately. This can result in either false high or false low readings, potentially leading to inappropriate clinical decisions regarding a patient's bone health. Maintaining stillness during the scanning process ensures that the bone density readings reflect only the density of the bone rather than any unintended motion, which could misrepresent the patient's actual bone condition. Therefore, patient instruction to remain still throughout the examination is fundamental to ensuring the reliability and validity of the test results.

Avoiding movement artifacts is critical during a forearm scan because even slight motion by the patient can lead to inaccuracies in the measurement of bone density. Movement artifacts can blur the images obtained during the scan, making it challenging to interpret the results accurately. This can result in either false high or false low readings, potentially leading to inappropriate clinical decisions regarding a patient's bone health.

Maintaining stillness during the scanning process ensures that the bone density readings reflect only the density of the bone rather than any unintended motion, which could misrepresent the patient's actual bone condition. Therefore, patient instruction to remain still throughout the examination is fundamental to ensuring the reliability and validity of the test results.