Chest X-Ray lateral Decubitus view Procedure

Chest X-Ray Lateral Decubitus View is to identify any minimal pleural effusion or its mobility. Especially to obtain Pneumothorax and Suspected Minimal pleural effusion either on the right or left side of thoracic

Patient positioning

• This is obtained with the patient lying on their side.
• For Pneumothorax, the side of interest should be up
• For pleural effusion, the side of interest should be down.
• The patient lying down in a lateral position, facing toward the x-ray tube, and the image receptor is placed on the back side of the thorax.
• Both legs of the patient are flexed forward using a cushion to stabilize the position.
• The patient’s arms need to be extended over the head, just to prevent the overlapping of the sternum.
• The patient is instructed to breathe out and hold while the exposure is taken.

Technical factors

• Chest lateral decubitus (right or left side)
• For a lateral projection, the chest landmark used for locating the center of the lung fields is at the mid-thorax (T7 level) or IR passing mid of the sternum

The process is entirely safe. After the procedure is finished, you can get back to your regular activities.

Mr. Mohit

Education Department