Why side projection?
The sacrum and coccyx in the direct projection are blocked by intestinal gas and pelvic structures - the lateral image shows their profile: fracture lines, angular displacement of the coccyx (a common cause of chronic coccydynia after a fall and childbirth), L5 spondylolisthesis. For pelvic fractures, the lateral projection clarifies the anterior/posterior displacement of fragments, which is inaccessible to a direct photograph. If there is persistent pain in the coccyx and a questionable picture, MSCT of the lumbosacral region with the coccyx is performed.
Indications
- acute abdominal pain - exclusion of obstruction and perforation (survey image);
- dysphagia, stomach pain, suspicion of an ulcer and tumor—scopy/barium graph;
- injuries and pain in the pelvic area - photographs of the pelvic bones;
- fistulas after operations and inflammation - fistulography;
- control of the chest organs in motion (diaphragm, mediastinum).
Copy and graphics
X-ray is a picture that records the condition of an organ; fluoroscopy - real-time observation showing motility: peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, mobility of the diaphragm, the passage of barium through the esophagus and pylorus. Therefore, for functional tasks (impaired swallowing, gastric evacuation, suspected dynamic obstruction), a copy is used, and to document the morphology (ulcer niche, filling defect in a tumor, mucosal relief) a series of targeted images is used; often methods are combined in one study.
