2.4.3. Imaging of Upper Extremity Flashcards
Where are we most likely to find a meningioma under imaging?
Thoracic vertebrae
What are the four curvatures of the spine?
Cervical lordosis Thoracic Kyphosis Lumar lordosis Sacral Kyphosis
An abdominal cross section contains what three cylinders?
The spine, aorta and inferior vena cava
What happens to the three cylinders in an abdominal cross section as we move inferiorly?
Cross sections moving inferiorly show the spine getting larger, the aorta getting smaller, and the inferior vena cava getting smaller
What are our most superior organs in an abdominal cross section?
liver, spleen, stomach, and transverse colon are most superior.
How do the stomach and colon appear in an x-ray?
The stomach and colon have air and should display as a speckled appearance on x-ray. If it is not one of those, the space may be an abcess.
What are the most inferior organs in an abdominal cross section?
psoas muscles, ureters, uterus, and bladder are most inferior
What structures do we see mid way through the abdominal cavity cross section?
kidneys, ureters, large and small bowel are inferior to that above
Besides plain films like x-ray, what other studies can we do and what are they best for?
MRI - Soft tissue and joints CT - Spinal cord and brain Myelography - type of radiographic exam that uses a contrast medium to detect pathology
What is echogenicity?
ability of obtaining return signal
Label the parts below. Also, what defect do we typically see in the “Scotty Dog”?
A defect (usually a break) in the pars interarticularis (bones joining superior and inferior vertebrae) gives the “scotty dog” a dog collar. It is a typical “broken neck”. This can lead to spondylolisthesis or a sliding of the vertebrae.
What do these studies show?
Patient suffered hyperflexion at L1, typically due to car accidents and sudden traumas involving seatbelts. This is known as the Chance fracture, and causes anterior wedging and compression
What’s happening here?
herniated disc at L5 caused by nucleus pulposus pushing through annulus fibrosis. This will push on a nerve root causing pain
When doing an x-ray of a possible shoulder separation, what is a good way to better show a gap if there is one?
A separation may be hard to identify and you may need to hold a weight during X-ray imaging to better show the gap in separation.
Most common type of dislocation of the glenohumeral joint is in what direction? Caused by what?
anterior (most common) dislocation can occur during a fall on an outstretched arm
How does a posterior shoulder dislocation occur and what will it look like on a plain film study?
significant trauma has to occur for a posterior dislocation
However, when the X-ray is taken anteriorly, it will have a positive rim sign and the humeral head will look like a light bulb.
What do we mean by bony rings and how do they often fracture/dislocate?
Bony rings such as the pelvis, radius and ulna combined, or a vertebral body are either broken in two places or broken in one and dislocated in the other
What shuld we be thinking about with snuffbox tenderness?
A dangerous symptom
Can mean the scaphoid is fractured, blood supply is occluded (because the supply runs back on itself - see below) and the bone may die.
