Large animal radiography Flashcards
What are some practical difficulties for large animal radiography?
Standing, conscious animal requires restraint
Multiple personnel needed (operator, plate holder, handler)
Often performed on-farm → less control over environment
Horizontal beam use requires extra safety planning
What are the key safety considerations for horizontal beam radiography?
Higher exposure than SA - travels further & more scatter
Consider who is in controlled area & their position
Use protective clothing & plate holders
Apply Inverse Square Law to reduce dose
What are the basic principles of good radiographic technique?
Machine settings correctly adjusted
Animal correctly positioned & restrained
Proper labelling (patient ID, date, limb, view)
Correct focal distance & centering of beam
Collimation to area of interest
Plate positioned & held correctly
Final safety check before exposure
How are radiographs conventionally oriented?
Cranial (animal’s head) → Left side of image
Proximal (closer to body) → Upper part of image
What view is this?
Lateromedial
What view is this?
Dorsopalmar
What are the two standard views for most large animal radiographs?
Lateromedial (LM)
Dorsopalmar / Dorsoplantar (DP) (carpus/tarsus & below) OR Craniocaudal (CrCa) (above carpus/tarsus)
What are the two additional oblique views used in joint radiography?
Dorsolateral-Palmaromedial (DLPMO)
Dorsomedial-Palmarolateral (DMPLO)
Palmar = Forelimb | Plantar = Hindlimb
What does a dorsopalmar view highlight?
Medial & lateral
What does a dorsolateral palmaromedial oblique view highlight?
What are the three key steps in interpreting an imaging series?
What have you got? – Identify type of image & projection
What can you see? – Describe radiographic findings objectively
What does it mean? – Interpret findings in clinical context
What are common errors in imaging interpretation?
Lack of context – Not knowing history or clinical signs
Skipping steps – Conclusion without observations
Overinterpretation – Seeing more than the image suggests
Using incorrect terminology – Mixing up density, attenuation, intensity, or echogenicity
How do you describe white on images in radiography, CT, MRI & ultrasound?
What methods of restraint can you use for equine limb radiography?
Chemical: a2 agonist or opiate analogue (e.g. Detomidine & Butorphanol)
Physical
Why is equine radiography potentially hazardous?
Large bones require high radiation exposure
Not always performed in a designated radiology room
Risk of being kicked or bitten
Scatter radiation affects handlers & equipment
Horizontal beam
People involved holding equipment
What are the four standard radiographic projections for the equine hock?
Lateromedial (LM)
Dorsopalmar/Dorsoplantar (DP)
Dorsolateral-palmaromedial oblique (DLPMO)
Dorsomedial-palmarolateral oblique (DMPLO)
What view is this and what does it highlight?
Label the LM hock
Label the LM hock
Label the DLPMO hock
What is going on in this hock?
Massive effusion in tarsocrural joint
