Page 107 - A Practical Guide to Equine Radiography

88 A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO EQUINE RADIOGRAPHY

Mediolateral (ML) (Figs 9.1–9.4) 8. Collimate around the area of interest.
VetBooks.ir 1. Pull the leg forward with gloved hands 9. Exposure guide: 70 kVp, 20 mAs.

Note: some horses reject extending the
until the radius is horizontally orientated
to avoid the superimposition. leg and flexing the elbow, especially with
2. Place the plate in landscape orientation painful conditions. In this case, take a lat-
on the lateral side of the joint as close as eromedial radiograph by not pulling the leg
possible to the limb. forward, but positioning the plate in portrait
3. Place a R/L marker on the dorsal side of the orientation between the leg and the trunk
plate. as far craniodorsally as possible. Position
4. Position the X-ray machine on the other the X-ray machine lateral to the limb 100
side of the horse, directing the beam under- cm away from the plate and use a horizon-
neath the base of the horse's neck. tal X-ray beam perpendicularly aligned to
5. Focus–film distance: 100 cm. the leg and plate. This view usually does not
6. Use a horizontal X-ray beam perpendicu- allow visualization of the whole area; how-
larly aligned to the leg and plate. ever, it may result in a diagnostic view of the
7. Centre the X-ray beam on the area of inter- olecranon.
est. The elbow joint space can be palpated
directly distal to the triceps muscle mass.

Figure 9.1 Positioning to obtain a ML view of the elbow.

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