American Society of Radiologic Technologist (ASRT) Practice Exam

Which image artifacts will appear as an area of increased brightness?

1. Nasogastric tube and Swan-Ganz catheter

2. Nasogastric tube and IV port

3. Swan-Ganz catheter and IV port

4. Nasogastric tube, Swan-Ganz catheter, and IV port

The correct answer is: Nasogastric tube, Swan-Ganz catheter, and IV port

An area of increased brightness in imaging is typically associated with the presence of materials that have a higher attenuation of X-rays compared to surrounding tissues. In this case, the nasogastric tube, Swan-Ganz catheter, and IV port are all radiopaque structures, meaning they are made of materials that absorb X-rays more than the surrounding tissues. When these devices are present in a radiographic image, they can create bright areas corresponding to their locations, due to the increased density they impart to the X-ray beam. The nasogastric tube is commonly made from plastic or rubber, both of which can demonstrate radiopacity depending on their thickness or if they contain metal components. The Swan-Ganz catheter, used for pulmonary artery pressure measurement, often has a radiopaque tip to allow visualization under imaging modalities. Similarly, IV ports, especially those made with a radiopaque material, will present similarly bright areas on X-ray imaging. When considering combinations of these devices, having all three present in the imaging field will unequivocally result in an area of increased brightness due to their respective materials' radiopacity. Therefore, the correct answer encompasses all three devices, as each contributes to increasing the brightness in the image area they occupy.