Basic Approach to Adult Extremity Radiographs
Basic Approach to Adult Extremity Radiographs
Search Pattern Assist ?History
Exam
Prior Study
Findings
Technique
The exam is over or under penetrated. [Yes/No]
The area of concern is indicated by the patient, technologist, or provider. [Yes/No]
The exam may be limited by overlying structures or soft tissues, body habitus, patient positioning, support devices, or motion. [Yes/No]
The area of concern is included on the exam. [Yes/No]
Soft Tissues
There is soft tissue swelling, indistinctness of fat/muscle planes, gas, or laceration in the area of clinical concern. [Yes/No]
There is an effusion, fat pad displacement, or fat fluid level. [Yes/No]
There is a radiodense or lucent foreign body. [Yes/No]
There are other densities, calcifications, post-surgical changes, or support devices in the soft tissues. [Yes/No]
Bone
There is a break or interruption of the continuity of the cortical or cancellous bone with or without displacement of a fracture fragment. [Yes/No]
There is abnormal angulation of the cortical surface relative to the normal cortex. [Yes/No]
There is linear or irregular lucency, or increased density, cortical depression, flattening, or collapse with or without cortical disruption or thickening, which may be from a compression or impaction fracture, stress or insufficiency fracture, osteonecrosis, or other fracture. [Yes/No]
There is disruption of commonly recognized anatomical lines (e.g. iliopectineal) or structures (e.g. sacral foraminal or arcuate lines). [Yes/No]
There is a displaced fragment which may be from avulsion by a tendon, or joint capsule or from a comminuted or other fracture. [Yes/No]
There is periosteal or endosteal reaction which could indicate a healing or subacute fracture or other abnormality. [Yes/No]
The stress trabeculae or other trabeculae of the cancellous bone are interrupted or otherwise abnormal. [Yes/No]
There is subchondral abnormality (lucencies, increased density, erosion) with or without cortical disruption or thickening which may be from osteonecrosis, osteochondritis dissecans, osteochondral fracture, inflammation, infection, or other abnormality. [Yes/No]
There is/are focal or multifocal lytic/lucent, blastic/sclerotic or mixed density lesion(s) or other abnormality. [Yes/No]
Overall bone density is increased or decreased. [Yes/No]
Joints and Alignment
There is an effusion, fat pad displacement, or fat fluid level. [Yes/No]
There is an intra-articular loose body or chondrocalcinosis. [Yes/No]
The joint is widened, narrowed, dislocated, malaligned, or incongruent. [Yes/No]
The subchondral or intra-capsular bone is fractured, interrupted, flattened, compressed, impacted, or otherwise abnormal. [Yes/No]
There is increased, decreased, or mixed density in subchondral bone. [Yes/No]
Other Findings
There are degenerative changes, developmental changes or other anatomic variants, or other existing conditions that may or may not be contributing to symptoms which can or should be further evaluated non-emergently or are otherwise incidental. [Yes/No]
The remainder of the exam is abnormal for age. [Yes/No]