Finger Lateral
Position the Patient
- Place hand on IR
- Extend the affected finger
- Position finger in true lateral
Words That Work
“Let your hand relax. I’m going to gently turn it and place the affected finger on its side, like taking a profile picture. I’ll move the other fingers out of the way so they don’t overlap. Keep the finger still, and tell me if anything hurts.”
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Lateral finger positioning
Set Up the Shot
- Center here
- Central ray
- PIP joint
- Include this in the field
- Collimation
- Entire finger and full metacarpal
- Set the distance
- SID
- 40"
- Check the technique
- Technique
- 55-60 kVp
- Follow facility protocols
Common Pitfalls
- •Not true lateral
- •Joints not open
- •Finger or metacarpal cut off
Evaluate the Image
What should be visible?
- Entire finger
- PIP, DIP, MCP joints
- Full metacarpal
Does the image pass?
- ✓True lateral
- ✓Joints open
- ✓Entire finger and metacarpal included