ChestAnkleFemurFootKneeTib-FibToesClavicleElbowFingerForearmHandHumerusShoulderThumbWristLumbar Spine
Lumbar Spine Lateral
Position the Patient
- Lateral recumbent
- Knees flexed
- Arms forward
- Mid-coronal plane centered to IR
Words That Work
“Lie on your side with your knees comfortably bent and your arms forward. Keep your shoulders and hips stacked—like building blocks—so you don’t roll forward or backward. I’ll support your waist if needed to keep your spine level. Breathe all the way out, hold it, and stay still.”
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Lateral lumbar spine positioning
Set Up the Shot
- Center here
- Central ray
- Iliac crest
- Include this in the field
- Collimation
- T12–S1
- Set the distance
- SID
- 40"
- Check the technique
- Technique
- 85-95 kVp
- Follow facility protocols
Common Pitfalls
- •Rotation
- •Vertebral bodies not clearly seen
- •Posterior margins not sharp
Evaluate the Image
What should be visible?
- T12–S1 vertebrae
- Intervertebral spaces
- Spinous processes
Does the image pass?
- ✓Vertebral bodies clearly seen
- ✓No rotation
- ✓Sharp posterior margins