The Chiropractic Radiology Section @ Chiro.Org
 
   

Welcome to the Radiology Section @ Chiro.Org! This section contains charts and guides to help you perform radiolographic examinations, links to other radiology sites, and interesting articles on diagnostic imaging. This section is updated frequently.

 
   

Chiropractic Radiology

This section was compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:
  Frankp@chiro.org


Alternative Care Chiropractic

Our thanks to G. Patrick Thomas, Jr., DC, DACBR for developing this page! We wish him well in his retirement! He kindly donated several useful charts, articles, and a radiology report generator which shall be archived here permanently.

Jump to: Radiology Tools Line Analysis Radiology Articles


QUIZ Radiology Links

 



Other
Pages:
Patient Satisfaction Cost-Effectiveness Safety of Chiropractic


About Chiropractic Chiropractic Rehab Repetitive Stress


Headache Page Whiplash Section Disc Herniation


Chronic Neck Pain Low Back Pain Stroke & Chiropractic


Iatrogenic Injury Problems With Placebos Subluxation Complex


ChiroZine Case Reports Pediatric Section


Conditions That Respond Well Alternative Medicine Approaches to Disease

Chiro.Org is proud to support AECC and the ICPA for their continuous research into the health benefits of chiropractic care.   Please offer them your financial support.

 
   

Radiology Tools
 
   


  
The Radiology Book Shelf
          Please browse our Radiology Book Shelf.   Any books you purchase will help to support our non-commercial website.


  
Diagnostic Imaging Practice Guidelines
For Musculoskeletal Complaints in Adults

Enjoy these 3 sets of guidelines for: Lower Extremity Disorders, Upper Extremity Disorders, and Spinal Disorders.


   KVp Chart


   Quick Reference Chart


   Positioning Guide


   Ten Tips for Better Radiography


   X-Ray Report Generator

 
   

Chiropractic Line Analysis   a.k.a   Mensuration
 
   

   Cervical Spine Mensuration   


  
The Atlantodental Interspace (ADI)


  
The Retropharyngeal and Retrotracheal Interspace


  
The Cervical Gravity Line


  
George's and Spinolaminar Line


   Lumbar Spine Mensuration   


  
The Lumbar Gravity Line


  
Ulman's Line

 
   

Radiology Articles
 
   


  
Accurate Prognosis in Personal-Injury Cases Using George's Line
           Dynamic Chiropractic ~ March 26, 2010

           The AMA's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairments uses George's Line to rate neck impairments. A moderate (3.5 mm) break in George's Line on the flexion and extension lateral X-ray films is a permanent impairment, equivalent to a post-surgical fusion of two cervical vertebra. Most chiropractors see small anterolisthesis and/or retrolisthesis on the films and ignore it or fail to appreciate its significance. Since 35 percent to 45 percent of trauma patients have this injury, it is very likely you have failed to diagnose it many, many times. By failing to diagnose this injury, you have failed to accurately, thoroughly and honestly describe your patient's injuries to the claim adjusters and attorneys, who will use the facts in your patient chart as the basis for the personal-injury settlement. These people need you, the doctor, to give them all the facts so a fair settlement can be reached. The jury also needs to understand whether your patient had this injury in order to decide how much to award your patient in a trial verdict.


  
Do Chiropractors Adhere to Guidelines for Back Radiographs? A Study of Chiropractic Teaching Clinics in Canada
Spine 2007 (Oct 15);   32 (22):   2509-2514

The results suggest a strong adherence to radiography guidelines for patients with a new episode of low back pain who presented to chiropractic teaching clinics. Although a high proportion of patients had red flags, radiography utilization was lower than rates reported in previous studies suggesting that adherence to guidelines may help prevent unnecessary radiography.


  
Reliability and Validity of Lumbosacral Spine Radiograph Reading by Chiropractors, Chiropractic Radiologists, and Medical Radiologists
Spine Journal 2002 (Sep 1);   27 (17):   1926-1933

Small differences with little clinical relevance were found. All the professional groups could adequately detect contraindications to chiropractic treatment on radiographs. For this indication, there is no reason to restrict interpretation of radiographs to medical radiologists. Good professional relationships between the professions are recommended to facilitate interprofessional consultation in case of doubt by the chiropractors.


  
Radiographic Anomalies That May Alter Chiropractic Intervention Strategies Found in a New Zealand Population
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2004 (Nov);   27 (9):   554-559

The 5 most frequently occurring anomalies in descending order were degenerative joint disease (23.8%), posterior ponticle (13.6%), soft tissue abnormalities (13.5%), transitional segments (9.8%), and spondylolisthesis (7.8%). Other noteworthy occurrences because of their generalized status as absolute contraindications to adjustment are fracture (6.6%), malignant tumor (0.8%-3.1%), abdominal aortic aneurysm (0.8%) and atlantoaxial instability (0.6%).


  
Sacral Stress Fractures:
Tracking Down Nonspecific Pain in Distance Runners

PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE 2003 (Feb);   31 (2)

Sacral stress fractures are an underrecognized cause of low-back and gluteal pain in distance runners. The combination of low bone density and increased activity blurs the boundary between fatigue and insufficiency fractures in many runners. MRI is the preferred radiologic technique because of its ability to localize the site of injury and rule out tumors, disk disease, or sacroiliitis. By identifying the condition early, clinicians contribute to a favorable outcome and help most athletes return to full activity in 12 to 14 weeks.


  
MRI of the Temporomandibular Joint
         A wide variety of conditions affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) including congenital anomalies, ankylosis, arthritis, and internal disk derangement (1). TMJ disease is common, affecting between 4 and 28 percent of the population. Young females in particular commonly present with TMJ complaints (2).


  
Diagnostic Imaging of Meniscal Injuries
         Radiographic examination of the knee is often unrewarding, despite physical and orthopedic findings that clearly indicate an abnormality. Much of the supporting anatomy of the knee is invisible with conventional radiography, but more sophisticated techniques can be used to demonstrate these important structures. Magnetic resonance imaging is able to delineate the cruciate ligaments and menisci, providing the clinician a more complete and accurate view of the patient’s condition.


  
The Azygos Lobe
         This normal variant occurs in less than 5% of the population. Despite it's characteristic shadow, it often alarms physicians not familiar with it's apearance. The azygos lobe forms when the azygos vein fails to migrate over the apex of the lung during fetal life.


  
Joint Pain in Children
A Seven Article Series By Deborah Pate, DC, DACBR
Joint pain is a common complaint in children but seldom a symptom of serious joint disease. How can you determine if a child with knee pain has just a strain/sprain or a more serious joint disease, such as Lyme disease, rheumatic fever, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis? This series of articles reviews the more common joint disorders affecting children.


   Approaches to Differential Diagnosis in Musculoskeletal Imaging
          There are already plenty of good books out there on introductory musculoskeletal radiology. Why did I write this syllabus? Because, it seemed to me that most of these books were doing a great job of telling one about diseases, but not how to approach their diagnosis. Most books tell you the names of lots of disorders and the findings you see in each of them. This is handy if you already know what disorder a patient has, and you just want to learn more facts about it.


   Back Pain in Children
          A commonly held belief in pediatrics is that back pain in children is rare, and its presence almost always heralds a serious underlying disorder. In reality, this belief only holds true in the prepubertal child, in whom back pain is rare, and if present often has a serious underlying cause. In adolescent children, chronic back pain may be found in up to 13% of them, but the underlying cause is often a sports induced injury. The job of the family practitioner or pediatrician seeing a child with back pain is to distinguish the serious from the non serious causes of back pain.


   Paediapaedia: An Imaging Encyclopedia of Pediatric Disease
          Paediapaedia is aimed at the radiology resident learning pediatric radiology for the first time, the pediatric radiology fellow mastering pediatric radiology for the first time, and for the general radiologist who does a small amount of pediatric imaging on a daily basis. Paediapaedia is meant to be a handbook of pediatric radiology. It is designed to let you get at the information you need easily and rapidly. It is meant to put the information you need most often at your fingertips.


   Anatomy Using Joint Fluoroscopy

 
   

The QUIZ Section
 
   


  
Do You Observe Cervical Trauma On These Films?
          A 17-year-old male reports status post trauma secondary to “mild” flexion/extension type injury. ROM was somewhat limited. Neurological and orthopedic evaluations were unremarkable. rEAD THE FILMS AND MAKE THE CALL!

 
   

Radiology Links
 
   

   American Chiropractic College of Radiology


   Internet Pathology Laboratory for Medical Education


   IU Radiology Homepage


   Radiology Central


   Radiology Webserver


   Radiology Websites


   RSNA.org


   Skeletal Radiology Teaching Files


   Tumor Atlas and Knowledge-base


   UW Radiology Anatomy Teaching Modules


   Visible Human Cross Sections


   Yahoo: Other Radiology Sites







Since 2-01-2004

Updated 6-15-2010

           © 1995—2010    The Chiropractic Resource Organization    All Rights Reserved