• Coleman RR
• Hynes RJR

• Diagnostic Imaging
• Femur Head / diagnostic imaging
• Open Access Document
• X-Rays

Objective: Comparing the height of 1 femur head to the other on the radiograph is sometimes done by clinicians involved in patient care. Pelvic axial rotation, source height relative to the femur heads, source-receptor and object-receptor distance can all affect the projection of relative femur head heights. This article discusses factors that may affect projected femur head heights and provides a mathematical method to quantify their affect.

Discussion: A mathematical method is shown to determine the projection errors that can cause projected femur head height differences on the anteroposterior radiograph. This demonstrates that the interplay of pelvis rotation, source height relative to the femur heads, source-receptor and object-receptor distance can create projected femur head height inequalities.

Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of factors that affect projected femur head heights and consider them when seeking to utilize femur head height differences to make clinical decisions. The present article better informs clinicians how projection errors can be produced when there is a concern with femur head heights and offers an insight into the causes of projection error on the anteroposterior radiograph.

Author keywords: Chiropractic; X-ray Imaging; Radiographic Findings; Diagnostic X-Ray; Clinical Decision Making; Projection

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