SpineFree
Cervical spine film check
Lateral to the top of T1 with the shoulders down, open disc spaces on the AP axial, a clear dens through the open mouth, and open foramina on the obliques.
The lateral
The lateral C-spine is the first and most important film in trauma. Take it at 60 to 72 inches to reduce magnification from the long OID, with the CR horizontal at C4, about the level of the thyroid cartilage. All seven cervical vertebrae and the top of T1 must show. Have the patient relax and push the shoulders down, and expose on full expiration, which drops the shoulders further. Raise the chin a little so the mandible clears C1 and C2. On a straight lateral the back edges of the vertebral bodies line up as one line. Doubled back edges mean rotation.