Wrist (lateral view)
Updates to Article Attributes
The lateral wrist view is part of a three view series of the wrist and carpal bones. It is the orthogonal projection of the PA wrist.
Patient position
patient is seated alongside the table
the affected arm if possible, is flexed at 90° so the arm and wrist can rest on the table
abduct the humerus the it is parallel to the image receptor
shoulder, elbow and wrist should all be in transverse plane, perpendicular to the central beam
wrist and elbow should be at shoulder height which makes radius and ulna parallel (lowering the arm makes radius cross the ulna and thus relative shortening of radius)
Technical factors
lateral projection
-
centring point
the mid carpal region
-
collimation
anteroposterior to the skin margins
distal to the mid way up the metacarpals
proximal to
theinclude one quarter of the distal radius and ulna
-
orientation
portrait
-
detector size
24 cm x 30 cm
-
exposure
50-60 kVp
3-5 mAs
-
SID
100 cm
-
grid
no
Image technical evaluation
The academic rule of a true lateral wrist radiograph is defined by the scaphopisocapitate relationship as “...the palmerpalmar context of the pisiform should be overlaying the central third of the interval between the palmar cortices of the distal scaphoid pole and the capitate head…1”
There is superimposition of the carpal bones, including the distal portion of the scaphoid and the pisiform
The radius and ulna are also superimposed.
The ulna styloid can be seen posterior.
Practical points
The positioning of a lateral wrist radiograph has a barrage of academia attached to it, the central theme to that being, simply the pronation-supination movement of the wrist from a PA view to lateral does not result in a orthogonal view of the distal radioulnar joint.
When the distal radioulnar joint undergoes pronation-supination at the wrist level the radius can undergo rotation of up to 180° yet, the ulna will undergo limited to no movement within the arc of a circle. To translate this into everyday terms, isolated rotation at the wrist from the PA position means the radius moves around a stationary distal ulna, resulting in a lateral view of the distal radius but not the ulna.
To overcome this it is recommended you abduct the humerus so the entire forearm is lateral rather than simple pronation-supination at the wrist.
Wrist radiographs are very common in emergency departments, they are often associated with FOOSH injuries and be quite painful.
Due to the non-urgent nature of a ? fractured wrist, patients will often be triaged to a lower category and left waiting for longer than multitrauma patients; an understable factor in emergency hospitals.
It is important to remember this when examining your patient, it is easy to forget that simply lifting your hand up and placing it on an image receptor could result in substantial pain and more often than not the pain has not been addressed yet. Offer to move things around to assist in positioning, simple things like lowering/raising the table go a long way and result in a better experience for the patient.
It is also possible to achieve the lateral wrist with the patient supine in a bed, by simply following the basic positioning principles, the image receptor can be placed next to the patient on the bed under the affected wrist.
-<li><p>proximal to the include one quarter of the distal radius and ulna</p></li>- +<li><p>proximal to include one quarter of the distal radius and ulna</p></li>
-</ul><h4>Image technical evaluation</h4><p>The academic rule of a true lateral wrist radiograph is defined by the scaphopisocapitate relationship as “...the palmer context of the pisiform should be overlaying the central third of the interval between the palmar cortices of the distal scaphoid pole and the capitate head…<sup>1</sup>”</p><p>There is superimposition of the carpal bones, including the distal portion of the scaphoid and the pisiform</p><p>The radius and ulna are also superimposed.</p><p>The ulna styloid can be seen posterior.</p><h4>Practical points<strong> </strong>-</h4><p>The positioning of a lateral wrist radiograph has a barrage of academia attached to it, the central theme to that being, simply the<a title="The effect isolated pronation-supination has on the lateral wrist radiograph" href="/articles/the-effect-isolated-pronation-supination-has-on-the-lateral-wrist-radiograph"> pronation-supination movement of the wrist from a PA view to lateral does not result in a orthogonal view of the distal radioulnar joint</a>.</p><p>When the distal radioulnar joint undergoes pronation-supination at the wrist level the radius can undergo rotation of up to 180° yet, the ulna will undergo limited to no movement within the arc of a circle. To translate this into everyday terms, isolated rotation at the wrist from the PA position means the radius moves <em>around </em>a stationary distal ulna, resulting in a lateral view of the distal radius but <strong>not </strong>the ulna.</p><p>To overcome this it is recommended you abduct the humerus so the entire forearm is lateral rather than simple pronation-supination at the wrist.</p><p>Wrist radiographs are very common in emergency departments, they are often associated with FOOSH injuries and be quite painful.</p><p>Due to the non-urgent nature of a ? fractured wrist, patients will often be triaged to a lower category and left waiting for longer than multitrauma patients; an understable factor in emergency hospitals.</p><p>It is important to remember this when examining your patient, it is easy to forget that simply lifting your hand up and placing it on an image receptor could result in substantial pain and more often than not the pain has not been addressed yet. Offer to move things around to assist in positioning, simple things like lowering/raising the table go a long way and result in a better experience for the patient.</p><p>It is also possible to achieve the lateral wrist with the patient supine in a bed, by simply following the basic positioning principles, the image receptor can be placed next to the patient on the bed under the affected wrist.</p><p> </p>- +</ul><h4>Image technical evaluation</h4><p>The academic rule of a true lateral wrist radiograph is defined by the scaphopisocapitate relationship as “...the palmar context of the pisiform should be overlaying the central third of the interval between the palmar cortices of the distal scaphoid pole and the capitate head…<sup>1</sup>”</p><p>There is superimposition of the carpal bones, including the distal portion of the scaphoid and the pisiform</p><p>The radius and ulna are also superimposed.</p><p>The ulna styloid can be seen posterior.</p><h4>Practical points<strong> </strong>
- +</h4><p>The positioning of a lateral wrist radiograph has a barrage of academia attached to it, the central theme to that being, simply the<a href="/articles/lateral-wrist-radiograph-effect-of-isolated-pronation-supination"> pronation-supination movement of the wrist from a PA view to lateral does not result in a orthogonal view of the distal radioulnar joint</a>.</p><p>When the distal radioulnar joint undergoes pronation-supination at the wrist level the radius can undergo rotation of up to 180° yet, the ulna will undergo limited to no movement within the arc of a circle. To translate this into everyday terms, isolated rotation at the wrist from the PA position means the radius moves <em>around </em>a stationary distal ulna, resulting in a lateral view of the distal radius but <strong>not </strong>the ulna.</p><p>To overcome this it is recommended you abduct the humerus so the entire forearm is lateral rather than simple pronation-supination at the wrist.</p><p>Wrist radiographs are very common in emergency departments, they are often associated with FOOSH injuries and be quite painful.</p><p>Due to the non-urgent nature of a ? fractured wrist, patients will often be triaged to a lower category and left waiting for longer than multitrauma patients; an understable factor in emergency hospitals.</p><p>It is important to remember this when examining your patient, it is easy to forget that simply lifting your hand up and placing it on an image receptor could result in substantial pain and more often than not the pain has not been addressed yet. Offer to move things around to assist in positioning, simple things like lowering/raising the table go a long way and result in a better experience for the patient.</p><p>It is also possible to achieve the lateral wrist with the patient supine in a bed, by simply following the basic positioning principles, the image receptor can be placed next to the patient on the bed under the affected wrist.</p><p> </p>