![]() ![]() Palpate the vertebrae of the cervical spine and place the horizontal line of the FOV at this plane.The collimated lateral image is centered over the cervicothoracic spine, and extends from the mid cervical spine (cranial limit of field of view ) to just caudal to the scapulohumeral joint.įor the lateral projection, the FOV excludes the ventral and dorsal soft tissues of the neck, only including the cervical vertebral bodies and immediate soft tissues adjacent to the spine. The sponge elevates the cranial portion of the cervical spine, making it level and lateral with the caudal portion of the cervical spine.Ĭollimated Projection: Cervicothoracic Spine If the patient is a large-breed dog, place a sponge under the cervical spine and skull cranial to the shoulder. Place the skull in lateral position then extend the skull and spine naturally and pull them straight cranially.Move the lumbar area of the dog dorsally, allowing the cervical spine to align with the horizontal collimation light.There will always be some degree of superimposition of the scapula. Tape or sandbag the thoracic limbs in this caudal position, which places the humerus and glenohumeral joint below the cervical spine, eliminating superimposition. ![]() Tape the thoracic limbs together evenly and pull caudally.Collimated image of ventrodorsal cervicothoracic spine.įor the lateral projection, position the patient in lateral recumbency ( Figure 1).Collimated image of lateral cervicothoracic spine.Open ventrodorsal image of entire cervical spine.Open lateral image of entire cervical spine.Recollimated images are important because they depict common areas of disease (ie, intervertebral disk spaces) that are typically at the edge of the film/image, which could be misinterpreted as narrowed due to the divergent nature of the x-ray beam. If there is a suspected abnormality at the edge of the image, a repeat collimated image centered at the area of interest is required for complete evaluation. Due to the angled, divergent nature of the x-ray beam, the area of the spine in the center of the field of collimation will be the area that provides the correct anatomic detail and intervertebral disk space widths. Lateral and ventrodorsal views are considered the minimum orthogonal radiographs for the spine. In addition, the presence or absence of disk space narrowing cannot be determined from a nonsedated animal’s radiographs due to unavoidable positioning artifacts. As a general rule, general anesthesia or heavy sedation is necessary to evaluate the spine because, in most cases, spinal images taken in nonsedated patients are nondiagnostic.
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