ChestAnkleFemurFootKneeTib-FibToesClavicleElbowFingerForearmHandHumerusShoulderThumbWristCervical Spine
AP Axial Cervical Spine
Position the Patient
- Upright or supine
- Raise chin slightly so teeth do not cover the spine
- Head straight
Words That Work
“Stand with your back against the board and look straight ahead. Keep your head centered without turning or tilting it. Lift your chin slightly—like looking just above the horizon—so your jaw moves out of the way of your upper spine. I’ll angle the beam slightly upward to open the spaces between the neck bones. Hold still and don’t breathe.”
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AP axial cervical spine - room setup
Set Up the Shot
- Center here
- Central ray
- C4; 15–20° cephalic
- Include this in the field
- Collimation
- Base of skull to T1
- Set the distance
- SID
- 40"
- Check the technique
- Technique
- 70-85 kVp
- Follow facility protocols
Common Pitfalls
- •Teeth superimposing the spine (chin not raised enough)
- •Rotation (spinous processes not centered)
- •Disk spaces not open (incorrect CR angle)
Evaluate the Image
What should be visible?
- C3–C7 vertebral bodies
- Intervertebral disk spaces
Does the image pass?
- ✓Spinous processes centered
- ✓Disk spaces open
- ✓No rotation (spinous processes equidistant to midline)