Page 123 - A Practical Guide to Equine Radiography

104 A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO EQUINE RADIOGRAPHY

Lateromedial (LM) (Figs 11.1–11.4) lateral to medial and there are two methods
VetBooks.ir 1. Stand the horse square with the cannon to achieve a good view through these joint

spaces:
bone vertical to the ground in each direc-
tion, and ensure all limbs are equally
weight-bearing. − Centre the horizontal X-ray beam at the
2. Place the plate in portrait orientation on the level of the lateral malleolus of the tibia.
medial side of the tarsus as close as possible Due to the divergent nature of the X-ray
to the limb. beam the X-rays will have a 3–5-degree
3. Place a R/L marker on the dorsal side of the angle at the level of the distal joints.
plate. − Centre on distal intertarsal and tarso-
4. Position the X-ray machine on the lateral metatarsal joints (about 10 cm below
side of the limb. the point of the hock or 2 cm above the
5. Focus–film distance: 100 cm. head of the fourth metatarsal bone) and
6. Use a horizontal X-ray beam perpendicu- angle the X-ray beam 5 degrees down-
larly aligned to the tarsus. Beware not to ward from the horizontal.
use the foot to align your X-ray beam since
many horses stand ‘toe out’. 8. Collimate around the tarsus, including the
7. Centring: the distal intertarsal joint and the proximal metatarsus and the tuber calcanei.
tarsometatarsal joint slope downward from 9. Exposure guide: 70 kVp, 10 mAs.

Figure 11.1 Positioning to obtain a LM view of the tarsus.

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