Cineradiographic Techniques

Abstract

One of us (Foxon, 1948) has already described in this Journal a simple apparatus for making rapid serial radiographs of small objects. The purpose of the present note is to record some further developments of this technique together with some remarks on our experience of indirect cineradiography in which the screen has been photographed by means of a 16 mm film camera. Before proceeding to any description of our methods, two points must be made clear. Firstly, it has been necessary to use standard X-ray equipment which could at any moment be used for ordinary diagnostic purposes and therefore no modifications of the switching, timing or other circuits have been possible. Secondly, and perhaps to compensate for the first rather limiting factor, our experiments are all carried out on the blood circulation of animals which are decerebrate or under the influence of an anaesthetic, recovery from which is not permitted; this obviates any necessity to avoid subjecting the animals to very heavy doses of X rays. This Medical School now has for such research purposes as those in which we are engaged a General Electric KX set (full-wave rectified) with a Mullard M.R.O. dual-focus tube, focal spots 1 and 2 mm diameter respectively. The apparatus used for direct radiography has been fully described (Foxon, 1948) and it is only necessary to say that it consists of a lead tunnel with a window over which the animal being subjected to experiment is placed.