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Thoracic spine film check
AP on expiration with the cathode at the feet, a lateral with breathing technique to blur the ribs, and a swimmer's when the shoulders hide the top.
The AP
The AP thoracic spine runs from C7 to L1, centered at T7, about 3 to 4 inches below the jugular notch. The upper thoracic spine is thin and the lower part sits behind the dense heart and diaphragm, so it is easy to end up with one end too dark and the other too light. Two things even it out: put the cathode end of the tube toward the feet, so the stronger side of the beam covers the thicker lower spine, and expose on expiration, which leaves less air in the lungs, so the upper thoracic spine is not overexposed next to the denser lower spine. On a straight AP, the spinous processes sit in the midline and the sternoclavicular joints are the same distance from the spine.