Lines of mensuration

Question 1

What are for basilar impression

Answer 1

Basilar angle AKA martin’s basilar angle
Mcgregor’s line
Chamberlain’s line
Macrae’s line

Question 2

What are for scoliosis evaluation

Answer 2

Cobb’s method
Risser-furgeson method

Question 3

What are for SCFE

Answer 3

Shenton’s
iliofemoral
Klein

Question 4

What is the most accurate for basilar impression

Answer 4

Mcgregor’s line

Question 5

Basilar Angle

AKA:
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 5

AKA: Martin’s basilar angle
Landmarks: Line from nasion to center of sella turcica
: Line is drawn basion to center of sella
turcica
Positive: If angle is greater than 152*
Indicative: Platysbia, basilar impression

Question 6

Mcgregor’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 6

Landmarks: line from hard palate to base of occiput
Positive: if odontoid is greater than 8 mm above for male
: greater than 10mm for female,
Indicative: basilar impression

Question 7

Chamberlain’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 7

Landmarks: hard palate to opishtion ( posterior foramen magnum)
Positive: if dens is greater than 7 mm above the line
Indicative: basilar impression

Question 8

Macrae’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 8

Landmarks: Basion ( anterior foramen magnum) to opishtion( posterior foramen magnum)
Positive: occipital bone is above the line
Indicative: basilar impression

Question 9

Atlantodental interspace

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 9

Landmarks: C1 anterior tubercle to dens
Positive: if space is greater than 3mm in adults, greater than 5mm in children
Indicative: Transverse ligament rupture
: instability d/t trauma
: down’s syndrome
: inflammatory arthritis

Question 10

George’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 10

Landmarks: Posterior body margins
Positive: not smooth posterior bodies
Indicative: A to P malposition
: anterolisthesis
: retrolisthesis

Question 11

Posterior cervical line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 11

Landmarks: lines at each spine laminar junction should form a smooth arc-like curve
Positive: not smooth line
Indicative: A to P malposition
: anterolisthesis
: retrolisthesis

Question 12

Prevertebral soft tissues

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 12

Landmarks: Anterior vertebral boides to posterior margin of air shadow of pharynx, larynx , trachea
Positive: soft tissue mass ( tumor, infection or hematoma)
Indicative: Retrophayngeal C2-C4 >7mm
Retrolaryngeal C5 > 14mm
Retrotracheal C6-C7 > 22mm

Question 13

Cobb’s method

Answer 13

Landmarks: Superior and inferior extremes of scoliosis
: parallel line though superior end plate of
extreme superior
: through inferior end plate of extreme inferior
vertebra.
: intersection perpendicular lines are drawn
and the angle is measured
Positive: greater than 20*
Indicative: scoliosis

Question 14

Risser furgeson method

Answer 14

Landmarks: superior extreme, inferior extreme, apical
: lines drawn to find the center of the vertebral
bodies
: 2 lines are drawn connecting center of
apical segment with each end vertebra and
result angle measured
Positive:
Indicative: 25% below Cobb

Question 15

Sacral inclination

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 15

Landmarks: line parallel through posterior margin of S1
: vertical line intersections the sacral line
Positive:
Indicative: Normal angle 30-72
: average angle 46*

Question 16

lumbosacral angle

AKA:
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 16

AKA: sacral base angle, Ferguson’s angle
Landmarks: oblique line trough and parallel of sacral
base
: horizontal line parallel to the bottom edge of
film
Positive:
Indicative: normal : 26-57
avg : 41

Question 17

Meyeding’s grading

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 17

Landmarks: sacral base is divided into 4 and the relative position of the posterior inferior aspect of l5 is made
Positive:
Indicative: degree of anterolisthesis

Question 18

Ullmann’s line

AKA:
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 18

AKA: garland Thomas line
Landmarks: parallel through the sacral base
: perpendicular line from sacral promontory (
anterior base tip)
Positive: l5 beyond perpendicular line
Indicative: spondylolisthesis

Question 19

Eisentein’s method

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 19

Landmarks: Line on tips of superior and inferior articular process
Positive:
Indicative: distance to posterior body margin at midpoint is measured

Less than 15mm is spinal canal stenosis

Question 20

lumbosacral disc angle

Answer 20

Landmarks: parallel and through the inferior endplate of
L5
:superior endplate of S1
Normal: 10-15*

Question 21

Lumbar gravity line

AKA:
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 21

AKA: Ferguson’s line
Landmarks: vertical line is drawn through the center of L3 vertebral body
normal; should intersect the sacral base
Indicative: if the line is anterior to the sacrum = possible hyperlordosis
: posterior = hypolordosis

Question 22

Mcnab’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 22

Landmarks: line parallel and through the inferior
endplates
Positive: if the line intersects the superior articular process of the vertebra below.
Indicative: extension malposition or facet imbrication is suspected, hyperlordosis

Question 23

kohler’s line
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 23

Landmarks: line drawn along the pelvic inlet to the outer aspect of the obturator foramen
Positive:
Indicative: if the acetabular floor crosses the line this is indicates protrusion acetabuli

Question 24

What are for SCFE

Answer 24

Shenton’s
iliofemoral
Klein
Skinner

Question 25

Shenton’s line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 25

Landmarks: a smooth curvilinear line is drawn along the inferior femoral neck to the superior aspect of the obturator foramen
Positive:
Indicative: SCFE if not smooth

Question 26

Iliofemoral line

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 26

Landmarks: a smooth curvilinear line is dawn along the outer ilium across the joint and onto the superior femoral neck
Positive: SCFE
Indicative:

Question 27

Klein’s line

Answer 27

Landmarks: a line is drawn along the superior margin of the femoral neck. Opposite of shenton
Positive: femoral head should intersect the line, if not SCFE
Indicative:

Question 28

Skinner’s line

Answer 28

Landmarks: a line is drawn through and parallel to the femoral shaft. a perpendicular line is drawn tangential to the tip of the greater trochanter.
Positive:
Indicative: the fovea captious should lie above or at the level of the trochanter line if the fovea captious falls below this line, it indicates SFCE

Question 29

Femoral angle

AKA:
Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 29

AKA: mikulicz’s angle
Landmarks: 2 lines are drawn through and parallel to the mid-axis of the femoral shaft and the femoral neck
Positive:
Indicative: normal angle 120-130

less than 120 = coxa vara
greater than 130 = coxa valga

Question 30

heel pad measurement

Landmarks:
Positive:
Indicative:

Answer 30

Landmarks: the shortest distance is measured between the plantar surface of the calcaneus and the external skin contour
Positive:
Indicative: if this distance is > 25 in a male or > 23mm in a female this signifies thickness often associated with acromegaly

Question 31

boehler’s angle

Answer 31

Landmarks: the three highest points on the superior aspect of the calcaneus are connected with 2 lines
Positive:
Indicative: if the resultant Angie is less than 28* this indicates calcanea fracture or dysplastic calcaneus