RadteraRadtera
‹ All protocols
‹ Back to all protocols

XR Forearm

XRNo contrastMSK
Indications
  • Forearm pain/trauma
  • Suspected radius/ulna fracture
  • Monteggia/Galeazzi injury
  • Postoperative/hardware evaluation
Patient prep
  • Remove radiopaque objects from arm
Contrast
None / non-contrast
Technique
  • AP: arm extended, hand supinated, CR perpendicular to mid-forearm
  • Lateral: elbow flexed 90 deg, hand true lateral (thumb up), CR to mid-forearm
  • Include BOTH wrist and elbow joints on every image
  • SID 40 inches; kVp ~60-65; tabletop
Series / Sequences
#Series / SequencePlaneNotes
1APFrontalHand supinated, full extension; include both elbow and wrist joints
2LateralSagittalElbow flexed 90 deg, thumb up; include both joints
Key points
  • Always include both the elbow and wrist joints to detect associated dislocations (Monteggia/Galeazzi)
  • Avoid pronation on lateral (causes crossing of radius/ulna)
  • Use long IR diagonally if needed to include both joints
References
• Bontrager's Handbook - Forearm
• Merrill's Atlas Vol 1 - Upper Limb
• Radiopaedia: Forearm series link
Source: Researched — verify against your institution
‹ PreviousXR Foot
Reference template — verify and adapt to your scanner, vendor and institution before clinical use. Not a substitute for clinical judgment.