People who care about their health are always concerned about the question of how often fluorography can be done. After all, on the one hand, radiation exposure is harmful to the body, and on the other hand, this examination helps to establish the diagnosis of the disease. Let's figure out whether fluorography is harmful and whether you should be afraid of it.

Every adult undergoes examination using this method at least once a year. Fluorography is a type of x-ray examination in which the image obtained by passing rays of the appropriate range through the patient’s chest is photographed.

The positive aspects of this survey are expressed in the following:

1. Low cost of research. In every district clinic, any patient can undergo fluorography; all medical institutions are equipped with the appropriate equipment. With the introduction of digital technology, film was no longer needed for photographs. Therefore, examination costs have decreased even further.
2. Speed ​​of implementation. The shooting process takes two minutes. And you can learn about the results after some time, depending on the organization of work in the medical institution. In some clinics the result can be given out in half an hour, but in some you need to wait until the next day.
3. Painless and no need to use any medications. The only unpleasant thing about this procedure is that you need to press your naked body against a cold metal plate. You also need to hold your breath when the nurse says. When examining using digital equipment, this will not be necessary.
4. There is a high probability of detecting a disease in the human chest. This is why it is so important to undergo examinations every two years.

The disadvantages are minor:

1. Use of radiation. But its dose is small, so there will be no harm to the body.
2. Impossibility of accurate diagnosis. In the picture you can see the focus of the disease, but it is impossible to determine what kind of disease it is only by fluorography. For an accurate diagnosis, other studies and tests must be performed.

Indications and contraindications for undergoing

Fluorography is a mandatory part of the periodic medical examination of citizens.

It is prescribed to the following persons:

• all adults and adolescents over 15 years of age undergoing a mandatory medical examination;
• persons living with pregnant women and newborn babies;
• citizens who are HIV carriers.

A doctor may refer you for this examination if the following diseases are detected:

• inflammation of the lungs or pleura, that is, with pneumonia, pleurisy, etc.;
• pulmonary tuberculosis;
• diseases of the heart muscle and large vessels;
• cancer of the lungs and organs that are located next to them.

This type of examination is contraindicated for the following persons:

1. Children under 15 years old.
2. For pregnant women, X-rays can cause mutations in the child. In case of urgent need, it can be done after 25 weeks of pregnancy.
3. Nursing mothers.
4. Seriously ill patients who are unable to hold their breath for the required period of time.
5. Persons who, for one reason or another, cannot be in an upright position while standing on their feet (wheelchair users, bedridden patients, etc.).

Possible health effects

Many people believe that it will be very harmful to health if they do fluorography twice in a row. This is sometimes required when the shot turns out to be unsuccessful. In this case, a repeat procedure is needed. But there will be no terrible consequences, because the dose of radiation received, even after two consecutive irradiations, is several tens of times less than what we receive from surrounding natural sources. Modern technology uses a negligible dose of radiation.

Received radiation

Speaking about how often fluorography can be done, we note that the maximum safe radiation dose for humans is 500 mSv per year. From external natural and man-made sources environment the body receives radiation of 3–4 mSv/g. But he is exposed to this influence continuously throughout the year. Irradiation during photography is short-term and its harmful effects end immediately after the end of the shooting process, thus its harm is negligible. Let's analyze the radiation dose received during fluorography and x-ray:

Fluorography is a universal tool for diagnosing diseases lungs and heart. It is regularly prescribed to citizens who have reached 18 years old.

The main federal regulatory document is often mistakenly considered Law No. 77 of 2001 “On preventing the spread of tuberculosis in the Russian Federation.” In fact, in the text of this document there is no mention of fluorography as a method of preventing and diagnosing tuberculosis.

What does the law require for fluorography?

In Russia since 2012 valid Law No. 1011n “On approval of the Procedure for conducting preventive medical examinations”. It is intended for the earliest possible detection of latent forms of diseases and requires individuals to undergo a medical examination over 18 years old periodically 1 time every 2 years.

When to get checked

The regulatory act classifies fluorography of the lungs as mandatory event during medical examination. Diagnostics need not be made if there is documentary evidence that the patient has undergone fluorography for last year .

The same restriction applies if there are current X-ray data or chest computed tomography readings.

The standards may be revised in case of individual need or if an epidemiological situation arises. The research is carried out within the framework of mandatory health insurance and is free for the patient.

Currently, the order of the Ministry of Health No. 124 n “On approval of the procedure and timing of preventive medical examinations of citizens in order to detect tuberculosis”, regulating and fluorographic control, is under development. The law may come into force in 2018 and will replace the legal act No. 77 of 2001

How often should fluorography be done: table

Order of the Ministry of Health on mandatory fluorography

According to by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 302 n of 2011, medical employees at all levels are required to undergo fluorography upon entry to work, and then periodically 1 time per year.

The same requirement applies to service personnel of medical institutions.

Photo 1. Sample of a certificate issued when successful completion fluorography.

Fluorographic examination is mandatory for employees of children's organizations and catering establishments, as well as companies with a social service profile.

Is it possible by law to refuse to conduct

Fluorography cannot be performed forcibly. The exception is unfavorable epidemiological situation or incapacity(inability to make informed independent decisions) of the patient.

What is important to do

To refuse the study, you need to write a statement and receive chief physician visa clinics.

It is possible to undergo digital X-ray diagnostics, which are less harmful to the body, have a longer validity period, and its result is equivalent to a fluorographic examination.

The benefits of fluorography as a means of controlling the incidence of tuberculosis are obvious. Regular examinations help identify initial stages such serious illnesses as cancer and heart muscle damage. It is possible to refuse the fluorography procedure, but in this case preference is given to more gentle diagnostic methods.

Hearing the word " radiation"we are presented with a certain image of the insidious, invisible and deadly dangerous enemy, which can cause enormous harm to our health. cannot be touched, cannot be seen, cannot be recognized by smell...

Impact radiation on a person is usually called exposure. Each of us has heard that this radiation can cause metabolic disorders, cell mutations, leukemia, infertility, radiation sickness and cancer. The effects of radiation are stronger on young dividing cells, so radiation affects children much more strongly than adults.

Serious effects on human health irradiation can only have an effect if the radiation dose exceeds 0.05 m3v per hour. If you are in an area of ​​radiation charging or exposure, for example, undergoing an X-ray examination or fluorography, the level of exposure may exceed this permissible norm. In addition, radiation accumulates in the body and to maintain health, its amount over a lifetime should not exceed the limit of 100 - 700 m3v. Therefore, fluorography is considered a procedure harmful to the body and is often not recommended.

Fluorography called a medical examination of the chest organs. It is carried out using x-rays that pass through the human body. Fluorography is often called “lung x-ray”, as it is done in order to promptly identify foci of tuberculosis, tumors, neoplasms and other pathologies in the lungs. However, not all chest diseases can be detected using fluorography. For example, pneumonia will be noticeable only when it takes on a fairly advanced form.

Fluorography was invented as a cheaper and more mobile analogue of x-rays. To perform it, much less film is required, which reduces the cost of the research procedure by 10 times. X-ray images are developed using special devices or baths, and until recently fluorography images were developed directly in rolls. Due to the fact that roll film is less sensitive to X-rays, the radiation exposure during fluorography using the old method had to be done 2 times more than during X-rays.

For comparison when carrying out film fluorography the patient receives radiation up to 0.8 m3v, and when passing an x-ray only 0.10-0.26 m3v. In addition, after processing the roll film, about 15% of the images were rejected, so scientists developed a new method of fluorography, which is now implemented in almost all medical institutions.

Modern fluorography technique is digital. It does not require the use of film; the digital image is immediately transferred to a computer and stored there. Digital fluorography allows you to obtain the most accurate images and provides a lower radiation dose - it does not exceed 0.1 mSv.

Considering that the recommended The annual effective dose of radiation is considered to be 1 m3v, fluorography on digital equipment can be considered practically harmless. However, you cannot undergo any fluorography more than once a year without a doctor’s prescription. As mentioned above, radiation tends to accumulate in the body and lead to cell mutation.

Quantity procedures fluorography can be increased only according to doctor's indications. Fluorography is contraindicated for children under 15 years of age; they should not be on the list of preventive medical examinations. Also, fluorography is not performed on women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Today in Russia Tuberculosis is the second most common disease after HIV. The earlier tuberculosis is detected, the more successful the treatment. Therefore, the Government of the Russian Federation was forced to issue a Resolution obliging certain categories of people to undergo fluorography twice a year in order to prevent the spread of tuberculosis.

To them include: military personnel, maternity hospital workers who were in close contact with a patient with tuberculosis, who had tuberculosis up to 3 years after deregistration, HIV-infected people, patients in drug treatment and psychiatric institutions, former prisoners up to 2 years after release, persons under investigation and convicts held in prison isolation wards and prisons.

It is mandatory to undergo it once a year fluorography patients with respiratory diseases, genitourinary system and intestinal tract, diabetics, migrants, displaced persons, persons without registration, employees of kindergartens and schools, sanatoriums, resorts and dispensaries.

Of course, any research radiation related, are undesirable, but if the doctor prescribes you to undergo fluorography a second time for successful treatment, it is better to follow his recommendations. May you receive more radiation than you will develop the disease and take medications for the rest of your life.

Today, when the situation in our country with morbidity tuberculosis And lung cancer disappointing, it is most likely appropriate to talk about the “uselessness” of fluorography rather than about its danger to health. After all, there are facts that the percentage of detection of tuberculosis and cancer in the early stages using fluorography is very low.

How many times a year can fluorography be done?

Previously, it seemed like they did it once every six months, if I’m not mistaken...

But on my own... I try not to do it again unless there is an urgent need. It's still harmful. Moreover, in many institutions where they require a fluorography certificate they often take their word for it)))

According to the rules, fluorography can be done once a year. But when I got sick, and the doctor suspected pneumonia, I was sent for fluorography, although only six months had passed since the last one. I had to choose. Either you miss pneumonia or get irradiated. I decided to do it. A lot of time has passed, and nothing bad seems to have happened.

On Monday I had a fluorography done and today I went to the doctor, and they told me to do it again. Not just an X-ray, but some kind of extended one... what's the name? CT scan something like this... this will be the 4th time... so far they have taken 3 pictures in a month... tomorrow they will take another picture... and who knows, maybe several times... This is strong radiation, what should I do?

Fluorography can be done only once a year, so that the body is exposed to less radiation. But if there are any health problems, and there is a suspicion of something serious, then doctors may ask for fluorography to make sure that everything is normal, or to make an accurate diagnosis.

For preventive purposes, it is necessary and possible to do a flux test once a year; if there is a disease, then more often than once every six months, but no more than 4 times a year (that’s what the doctors told me when I was in intensive care and they took me out 2 times)

Usually, medical institutions force people to do fluorography once every year, but it is officially allowed to do it twice a year, since the received radiation dose is considered normal and safe for people. Only in rare cases do doctors force fluorography to be done more often, in connection with various oncological or tuberculosis diseases of the lungs.

Typically, during a medical examination, fluorography is done once a year. By the way, the radiation exposure on different devices varies somewhat.

But, when we are talking about patients or if a serious illness is suspected, the doctor may prescribe examinations more often - at some stage of treatment and recovery. I know that they can appoint once every three months. When the benefit of the proposed examination outweighs the possible risk.

I found information that it is safe to do no more than 3 fluorographs per year, if you do not undergo other x-ray examinations. But it is better to limit yourself to one procedure, which is what is most often required in clinics, at work, and in institutes. Although if for some reason you have to do one or two more fluorographs, then it’s not so scary.

This is of course harmful, just like a bonal x-ray! But! I have a hip fracture that has been healing for more than a year. at the moment already the 8th the month has passed and Every month I go and get an x-ray. But I don’t think that this will have any obvious impact on me, at least I don’t feel it yet.

What is a fluorographic examination? It's almost like having an X-ray of your lungs. They do fluorography to diagnose various diseases: tumors, getting something into the lungs, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other lung diseases.

For medical reasons, fluorography must be performed once annually. The exception is after a medical examination. Then a person can undergo fluorography 2 times a year and this is the maximum required. Since you can receive radiation from a fluorography apparatus.

How to undergo fluorography procedure?

No special preparation is required for fluorography. Everything happens in the radiologist’s office, the patient undresses to the waist, enters a special booth and presses his shoulders against a special bar. The cabin door closes, the doctor asks you to hold your breath and that’s it, the picture will be ready in a few minutes.

Who needs fluorography?

Fluorography results are required when applying for a job. To a healthy person It is only necessary to take an X-ray of the lungs once a year, in which, although harmful, the radiation exposure is minimal.

But there is a group of people who need to undergo the procedure twice a year:

• Workers of medical institutions, especially maternity hospitals, resort and sanatorium hospitals, tuberculosis clinics;
• Employees of child care institutions who have direct contact with children;
• People living in a region with an increased incidence of tuberculosis;
• All members of families where a person with tuberculosis is in close contact;
• People who are in contact with a person with a positive Mantoux test;
• Patients with tuberculosis, lung tumors and other pulmonary diseases;

Patients with chronic endocrine diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, stomach ulcers.
Fluorography is not performed on children under 15 years of age, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers; the latter, if necessary, is prescribed fluorography by the doctor, for example, upon discharge from the maternity hospital.

Also at risk are people with specific chronic diseases, which the attending physician should warn about.

Modern devices with which fluorography is done today differ significantly from the old primitive and most dangerous devices. New generation devices irradiate the human body, but 5-10 times less and allow you to instantly obtain images.

Using fluorography in the early stages, you can recognize malignant tumors, tuberculosis and prevent complications, consult a doctor in time, who will prescribe treatment and a more in-depth examination.

Why is it necessary to undergo fluorography?

Today in Russia the situation with the incidence of tuberculosis is not comforting. Tuberculosis is in second place after HIV, which indicates an increased mortality rate from the disease. The earlier the disease is detected, the more successful the doctors’ fight for the health of the sick person will be. Tuberculosis in its early stages can be prevented if detected early.

Today, every inhabitant of the planet is at risk and is not insured against getting sick, since the disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. More than 5,000 people fall ill every year in Russia alone - these are those patients who are officially registered by a medical institution.

Some do not know whether they carry this virus or not, since they do not undergo examinations on time and do not undergo fluorography. But this is dangerous not only for the sick, but also for the people around him.

Conclusion

Fluorography is harmful, but it is better to receive a little radiation than to live your whole life on serious drug treatment.